§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Seed Potato Marketing Board (Northern Ireland) has succeeded in its objective of increasing the acreage of seed potatoes grown; and what are the figures of seed exported from Northern Ireland from 1963 to 1974.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesFollowing the general trend in arable crops in Northern Ireland, the acreage of seed potatoes grown has declined over the past 15 years. The function of the board is to 493W provide orderly marketing of the seed potato crop in which it has been reasonably successful. The seed potato shipments from Northern Ireland from 1963 to 1974 were as follows:
Crop Year Total Tons 1963 112,091 1964 97,781 1965 83,378 1966 72,378 1967 85,527 1968 90,517 1969 91,521 1970 79,641 1971 73,360 1972 58,613 1973 58,823 (Final figures for 1974 are not yet available.)