§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give the prices per ton charged for phosphates, or the market price, imported into the United Kingdom from Tunisia, Morocco or Senegal in June 1973 and March 1974, and the projected price incorporating recently announced increases in phosphate prices.
§ Mr. MeacherThe following are the values (cif) derived from the Statistics of Overseas Trade:
NATURAL PHOSPHATES, WHETHER OR NOT GROUND £ per tonne June 1973 March 1974 Tunisia … … 6.6 21.8 Morocco … … 7.6 20.8 Senegal … … 9.9 16.7 Morocco has announced an increase of $21 (approximately £8.75) per tonne f.a.s. effective from 1st July.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Industry to what extent he expects the price of compound fertilisers would have to be raised assuming the advance in producer prices for phosphates had to be paid by domestic consumers.
§ Mr. MeacherThe average P2 O5 content of compound fertilisers consumed in the United Kingdom in 1972–73 was 12.32 per cent. and a typical P2 O5content for Moroccan rock is 33 per cent. On this basis, and assuming 5 per cent. processing losses, the increase of $21 per tonne recently announced by Morocco in phosphate rock prices would represent an increase of £3.45 per tonne in the average cost of manufacture of compound fertilisers.