§ Mr. John Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the estimated acreage and tonnage of vegetables grown and harvested in the 1978 and 1979 seasons and the percentage of each vegetable crop frozen and canned in each of those seasons.
§ Mr. WigginInformation is not available in the form requested. The following table shows tonnages marketed during each of the last two calendar years and the approximate proportions which went for processing in 1978—data for 1979 are not yet available. This depends on estimating the original fresh weights from the processed weights. These figures can therefore only be taken as a broad guide to relative magnitudes and year-to-year changes in these percentages cannot be measured with any accuracy.
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VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 1978 1979 (estimated) 1978 Approximate percentages of output processed Cropped areas (Hectares) Output marketed ('000 tonnes) Cropped areas (Hectares) Output marketed ('000 tonnes) Frozen Canned Other* IN THE OPEN Beetroot 3,339 93 3,225 109 — 4 38 Carrots 18,128 677 15,445 578 3 19 3 Parsnips 3,513 63 3,517 65 — — — Turnips and Swedes 5,509 202 5,189 162 — — — Onions Dry Bulb 8,585 219 8,446 264 — — 7 Onions Green 1,851 24 1,781 22 — — — Total roots and onions 40,925 — 37,603 — — — — Brussels Sprouts 14,259 201 13,775 180 13 — — Cabbage 26,668 651 27,091 552 — — 1 Cauliflower 14,965 282 15,038 185 5 — 6 Total brassicas 55,892 — 55,904 — — — — Peas, Harvested Dry 38,247 83† 38,630 80† — — 100 Beans, Broad 4,858 48 4,639 42 36 41 — Beans, Runner and French 12,553 101 12,307 108 35 22 — Peas, Green for Market 3,934 33 3,980 31 — — — Peas, Green for Processing 48,300 190† 49,075 221† 60 30 10 Total other legumes 69,645 — 70,001 — — — — Asparagus 356 1 353 1 — — 40 Celery 1,574 59 1,597 62 — 4 2 Leeks 1,747 37 1,791 30 — — — Lettuce 6,670 112 6,048 112 — — — Rhubarb 1,005 40 1,108 35 4 30 — Watercress 117 4 99 4 — — — Others 9,042 166 8,751 168 — — — Total other vegetables 20,511 — 19,747 — — — — Total in the Open 225,220 — 221,885 — — — —
1978 1979 (estimated) 1978 Approximate percentages of output processed Cropped areas (Hectares) Output marketed ('000 tonnes) Cropped Output areas (Hectares) Output marketed ('000 tonnes) Frozen Canned Other* PROTECTED CROPS Tomatoes 976 133 161 134 — — — Cucumbers 243 56 231 54 — — — Lettuce 1,339 38 1,272 35 — — — Mushrooms 356 51 359 52 — 18 Others 333 13 335 13 — — — Total protected crops 3,247 — 3,158 — — — — TOTAL VEGETABLES 228,467 — 225,043 — — — — * Soups, pickles, etc. † Shelled weight. Notes: Cropped areas are classified according to the year in which harvesting commenced. Output figures comprise tonnages harvested and marketed during that year and any marketing from store of the previous year's crop.
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