asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the acreage acquired by the Forestry Division: (a) in the year ending 31 December 1977, (b) the year ending 31 December 1978, and (c) the acreage which it is estimated will be acquired by 31 December 1979.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Acreage Acquisition.
22.
The acreage acquired for State Forestry purposes in the year ended 31 December 1977 was 30,073 acres, of which 20,448 acres was plantable. The comparable figures for the year ended 31 December 1978 were 18,052 acres and 15,263 acres respectively.
It is expected that a gross area of 19,000 acres, of which 16,000 will be plantable, will be acquired in the year ending 31 December 1979.
Can the Minister give us any indication as to the reason for this sizeable drop in the figures and would he accept that the reason for the drop in the number of acres being purchased is that the Department are not paying an adequate price, in terms of the market value, for these lands?
On the latter point, I propose to announce very shortly a substantial increase in the price of land for afforestation purposes. However, there is an overall reluctance on the part of farmers to sell land at present for afforestation purposes. This is mainly because of the high-price situation obtaining within the Community for land for agricultural production and also because land is being regarded now almost as a bank. People are holding on to land in a way that has not been experienced before. This is because of the escalation in land values, but it is a situation that is proving very difficult for the Department in terms of acquiring land for afforestation purposes.
I appreciate most of what the Minister has said but would he indicate what approximately is the market price being paid by the Department for this type of land and also what the likely increase is to be?
Agreement has not been reached yet regarding the increase in price but I assure the Deputy that there will be a substantial increase and that there will be an early announcement in that regard.
What is the current price?