Dan Neville
Question:66 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his plans to assist the mushroom industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9082/03]
Written Answers - Mushroom Industry.
The mushroom industry is an important industry nationally. In 2001, total mushroom output was 68,000 tonnes with an estimated farm gate value of €128 million. This represented an all-time high for the sector.
While some growers have left the industry, mushroom output has been maintained by growers who expanded and invested in new equipment, such as environmental controls and new growing systems. Funding available under the NDP has assisted producers in this regard while the development of producer organisations under the EU grant scheme has been of great benefit to producers of mushrooms. The producer organisation scheme enables producers to benefit from their combined strength in producing and marketing a high quality product. Currently, there are 14 mushroom producers organisations in existence and nine of these were in receipt of grant aid of the order of €1.94 million in 2001. Their total marketed production in that year was €114.41million.
To help the sector adapt to the changing market situation, the two state agencies under my aegis, Bord Bia and An Bord Glas, have jointly commissioned a study which will examine the structure and competitiveness of the sector over the whole production-supply chain. This study will be completed by early summer.