§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current state of the potato market.
§ Mr. RyderUnited Kingdom production in the current July/June crop year was 6,899,000 tonnes compared with 6,760,000 tonnes in 1987–88. On the other hand, wastage has been higher as a result of storage problems in a mild winter and stocks are correspondingly low. In Great Britain the most recent weekly average producer price is £61.08 per tonne compared with £73.45 at the corresponding time last year. As a result of these low prices the Potato Marketing Board has intervened in the market and has so far purchased some 97,000 tonnes.