HC Deb 10 April 1989 vol 150 cc364-5W
Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many days' supply of grain are currently in store in the United Kingdom(a) in intervention storage and (b) in all storage.

Mr. Ryder

Current United Kingdom intervention stocks of wheat and barley represent around 21.5 days' supply of grain. Information on the quantity of grain currently in commercial storage is not available.

Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the latest estimate of the stocks of grain which will be in store in July 1989(a) in Britain, (b) in the European Economic Community and (c) in the world, expressed in tonnes and days' supply;

(2) what is the latest estimate of the stocks of grain at the present time (a) in Britain, (b) in the European Economic Community and (c) in the world, expressed in tonnes and days' supply.

Mr. Ryder

Estimates of stocks of grain in store are only available for the end of the cereals marketing year. For the Community, the marketing year ends on 30 June and the latest estimates for the United Kingdom and the European Community as a whole at the end of June are as follows:

Million tonnes Days' supply
United Kingdom 5.6 105
EC 39.4 106

The International Wheat Council's estimate of world stocks of grain is an aggregate of national figures based on different definitions of marketing years and therefore does not relate to any particular month. The council's latest estimate for world stocks for the end of the 1988–89 crop year is 228 million tonnes or around 60 days' supply.

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