asked the Minister for Agriculture what is the policy of the Government in relation to wheat growing; whether it is intended to discourage it; and if he will indicate the acreage of wheat grown each year since 1960.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wheat Growing.
140.
The policy of the Government in relation to wheat growing is fully set out in Chapter 15 of my Department's "Brown Book"—Agriculture in the Second Programme for Economic Expansion. The Government will continue to encourage the use of as much native wheat as possible, consistent with the production of flour and bread of a quality acceptable to consumers.
The following are the acreages of wheat grown in each year since 1960:—
|
Year |
Acreage |
|
1960 |
366,000 |
|
1961 |
345,000 |
|
1962 |
314,000 |
|
1963 |
233,000 |
|
1964 |
214,000 |
I have recently announced that the Government have decided to increase the basic price for millable wheat of the 1965 crop by 3/- per barrel. This increase in price should encourage production.
Does the Minister consider that this is sufficient to increase the acreage grown?
I would hope that it would have an incentive effect in arresting the decline in the acreage. Equally important in this situation is the matter of procuring an acceptable standard of millability.
Would the Minister agree that the price is still below the price for wheat fixed by the Common Market?
It is a little too facile to talk of the price fixed by the Common Market at this stage.
Agreement was reached between the Common Market countries as to the price of wheat for the next season. In this country we are below the price fixed.
There are a lot of factors governing the situation and it would be very difficult to compare wheat prices in this country with those in the Common Market for a variety of reasons. We could not proceed, in any sector of our economy at the moment, to equalise our prices with those of EEC. As the Deputy knows also, to arrive at the recent common grain prices in the EEC it will be necessary for the Germans to come down and the others to come up.
What I am suggesting is that the prices within the Common Market give us more scope for manoeuvring.
Unfortunately we are not in the Common Market yet.
The Taoiseach says we will be in it soon.
And that would not make the price of bread one penny cheaper.
All I can do is to try to fix what to me in our circumstances appears to be a reasonable price to our farmers for their wheat. That I have done.