asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is in a position to state approximately the quantity of onions produced in Éire this season; also, approximately, the quantity required for home consumption; further, if he is aware that homegrown onions are practically unsaleable at present except at an uneconomic price; and if he will take immediate steps to stabilise the home market by making arrangements whereby the surplus (if any) may be exported to countries where there is an evident shortage of supplies of this vegetable, or by any other means at his disposal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export of Onions.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he will state the price of onions (a) on the home market, (b) in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and if he will facilitate their export, especially from the poorer districts.
I propose to reply to Questions Nos. 29 and 30 together.
Official statistics of the production and consumption of onions have not been compiled, but my Department has estimated from the information at its disposal that the quantity of homegrown onions of this year's crop available for marketing is in the neighbourhood of 4,250 tons. In the years immediately preceding the measures taken to promote production in this country and to restrict imports, the quantity of onions imported amounted to about 7,500 tons annually. The amount allowed to be imported in 1940 was limited to 2,500 tons. As imported onions will probably not be obtainable, it is anticipated that the whole of this year's crop will be required to meet home requirements prior to next year's crop of homegrown onions becoming available. I do not, therefore, propose to give licences for the export of onions.
I am not aware that the prices at present paid to growers are uneconomic but, in order to relieve the market, arrangements are being made to store a portion of the crop to meet requirements in the early part of 1941.
I understand that recent quotations for Irish onions on the Dublin market range from 16/- to 20/- per cwt.; and for English onions at Covent Garden market from 55/- to 60/- a bag.
Might I ask whether, in view of the extraordinary discrepancy between the price of onions on the home market in Ireland and the price which can be had in Great Britain, and, I presume in Northern Ireland, the Minister will reconsider his decision or else consider how unfair it is to ask the small body of poor farmers who grow onions for sale, small producers, to stand the full trade loss in order to keep up the supply of onions for this country? As he is embarking on a project of seeing that in the months, say, of February or March there is a supply of onions in this country for everybody, he ought to see that he is putting the whole of the burden, or at least the enormous trade loss on a very small number of poor people, small producers. If he cannot see his way to permit an export, now that there is this striking difference between the two prices in the two countries, will he not see that the producers are properly compensated for this particular loss? He will recognise that he is causing a small number of people a big trade loss as a result of the operation of his order. He is putting it on a small number of people for, as he said, the benefit of the whole country. Does he not consider that most unfair? He will hardly contend in this case that the home market is the best market, as he said in answer to a question a few moments ago. Will he not reconsider the whole position? Is there not a danger——
There is grave danger that if the Deputy proceeds much further, he will have made a speech.
I am merely permitted to put a few questions. Is there not a danger that it may be difficult to save these onions? I should like to know whether proper steps are being taken to see that a large number of them do not go bad in the meantime.
It is true that I said in answer to the question, or implied at any rate, that it is for the benefit of the community that these onions are being maintained so as to have a year's supply. It could perhaps be defended to a certain extent, at any rate, on that point alone, because for the last three or four years the onion growers were getting much higher than the world price for onions. While we could import onions for £4 per ton, the growers in these years were getting £10 and £12 per ton. I think that, from the growers' point of view, it is very much better that we should maintain the home market with supplies, because in the cities, especially in Dublin, there is a very large number of consumers, and it is possible that if they were put off onions for a year they might not come back to them. I think it is not only possible, but absolutely certain, that when the war is over the home market will be the best for our own onion growers and that the export market will be absolutely useless to them. Therefore, from their own point of view, in order to maintain the market at home, I think, even if they are going to lose something this year, it is in their own interest that they should lose and maintain the home market. It is not an uneconomic price. I think it is a very fair price. I know that up to ten tons an acre can be produced. Any Deputy who understands farming and the price of crops in general will know what that means. If a farmer can get ten tons per acre by good husbandry and gets £10 to £12 per ton for them he is not doing too badly.
The average is about four tons per acre.
I am not saying that the average is ten tons per acre. I say the good farmer may be able to get ten tons. The average is higher than four tons.
Very little over.
Four tons in this area in which I am interested.
With regard to the keeping of the onions, there is a certain danger that some onions would not keep and we have arranged with a buyer—the Agricultural Wholesale Organisation in Dublin—to purchase 1,000 tons which they will keep, and that will give an opportunity to the others to market their onions between this and Christmas. They will keep this 1,000 tons over until the end of the season.
Is the Minister aware that onions grown in this country will not keep until Christmas?
As a matter of fact it has been proved that they will keep until next June.
One or two varieties. There are different varieties sown. The general run of them, except one or two, will not keep until Christmas.
All the spring sown varieties have kept—not the tripoli; it will not keep.
They will not keep unless they are very well stored. As Deputy O'Sullivan stated, the majority of the growers are small farmers and cottiers who have no storage accommodation. If they have to hold them until Christmas 50 per cent. of them will be lost. One thousand tons out of the whole supply is a very small amount for storage. Will the Minister make any arrangement whereby the market will not be glutted at any particular time? I want to quote from what appeared in the Irish Press this morning about onions at £12 per ton. Mr. William Russell, President of the Chamber of Commerce, stated at a meeting of the Dundalk Harbour Board——
Quotations from newspapers and letters are not allowed at Question Time.
It is dealing with this question of £12 per ton.
That does not matter.
Let it go like all the other things.
Does the Minister not think that it is unfair, on account of the problematical reasons he has given, to expect very small farmers to get only between one-third and one-fourth of the price that could be got were it not for the Minister's order? Is not that a very unfair tax to put on a small portion of the community, and a very poor portion of the community at that?
I think I have made my position as clear as I can. I think I mentioned in a letter to the Deputy some time ago that, when we get the census of production, it we have more onions than we thought we had according to the preliminary estimate, we might permit some export.
Will the Minister not consider the question of compensation to these people?
I think they are well compensated.