Vol. 416 No. 7
9 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the total acreage in the country currently devoted to horticulture and the area of this which is under glass; the measures, if any, he intends to take to increase the acreage devoted to horticulture with specific reference to the area under glass; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The total area under horticultural production, excluding potatoes, in 1990 was 23,849 acres, of which 608 related to production under glass and a further 531 related to production under plastic.
With the establishment of An Bord Glas, a comprehensive package of support measures for the industry is now in place. My Department operate three schemes which provide grant assistance to horticultural producers. The greenhouse grants scheme deals specifically with greenhouse producers and the farm improvement programme and the operational programme for rural development, horticulture, provide support for horticulture, inclusive of greenhouse production. Considerable support is also provided by State agencies such as Teagasc, IDA, SFADCo and An Bord Tráchtála.
Did the Minister say that the total area under horticultural production was 23,000 acres or 123,000 acres?
Twenty three thousand acres.
Can the Minister say how this compares with the figure in 1988 for both the total acreage under horticultural production and the acreage under glass?
I regret that I do not have the information the Deputy has requested but I will be happy to make it available to him.
Is it not a fact that this is a significant drop in both the acreage under glass and the outdoor crops acreage, including potatoes? The information available to me indicates that in 1988 the acreage was 95,000 acres and 900 acres, respectively.
The estimated area for commercial crops, excluding potatoes, in 1989 and 1990 are as follows——
Excluding potatoes?
Yes. In 1990 field vegetables represented 17,732 acres while they represented 17,721 acres in 1989. I had to familiarise myself with what top fruits related to as distinct from soft fruits. I have been told that they relate to the apple industry. That was a little education for me.
The Minister is a topper.
He is another person with a new agenda.
In 1990, soft fruits represented 1,939 acres while they represented 2,293 acres in 1989. Glasshouse crops and under plastic crops represented 1,139 acres in 1990 in comparison with 1,130 acres in 1989. Hardy nursery, outdoor ornamental and other crops, a growing industry, represented 1,425 acres in 1990 and 1,351 acres in 1989. Perhaps the most significant growth of all was in the production of mushrooms which amounted to 37,000 tons in 1990 compared to 37,000 tons in 1989.
Deputy Bradford welcomed the Minister to Question Time. I should like to do the same. I should like to compliment his predecessors, Deputy Kirk, who did a wonderful job, and the former Deputy Paddy Hegarty, who filled that post with such distinction.
May I ask the Minister if he will investigate the possibility or probability of providing grants for the promotion of crops with the aid of plastic? Continentals are amazed when they come to this country to find that we do not promote the use of plastic to ripen or produce earlier crops. This method is used widely on the Continent, particularly in Italy, Spain and Holland, yet we seem to ignore it. There is a great future for the use of plastic, which is much cheaper than glass, on a huge scale. Would the Minister entertain such a proposal?
The Deputy is injecting new matter into the question.
The Deputy's suggestion is a helpful one and I will certainly pursue that matter with the Department officials. I am sure the Deputy is aware that we are already grant-aiding plastic houses for mushroom production. However I take the point he is making.
In that instance plastic is used to keep out light; I am talking about letting in light. Plastic is used extensively in Ardmore in County Waterford to great effect.
The Deputy has made a very constructive suggestion and I am prepared to purse it with officials of my Department.
There are a number of Deputies offering and I am conscious of the fact that we have made very little progress on questions today. I would ask Deputies to be brief and to expedite matters.
Under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, commitments were made with regard to the horticulture industry, specifically on job creation. It was estimated that 1,000 extra full-time jobs would be provided up to the end of 1993 and that 300 part-time jobs would be provided over the years 1991, 1992 and 1993. What progress is being made by An Bord Glas, Teagasc and other agencies in reaching those targets? Finally, what progress is being made by the co-ordinator appointed by An Bord Glas and co-funded with the IFA to organise the potato market?
I had a meeting yesterday with the chief executive officer of An Bord Glas and one of the first matters I raised with him was the employment potential of the industry and whether we are achieving targets there. I was very pleased to be informed that we are on target in relation to the overall development programme in accordance with the Programme for Economic and Social Progress agreement and that the industry and An Bord Glas hope to achieve the projected level of employment by the end of the programme.
To the thousands of farmers involved in the more conventional farming enterprises horticulture is seen as an alternative enterprise. These farmers are slow and unwilling to move into alternative enterprise unless adequate assistance and an advisory service is available at ground level. Is the Minister satisfied that adequate advisory services are available to the horticulture industry? Would he not see an opportunity for the co-operative movement to get involved in this field so that people would be available locally to advise many of the farmers who are looking for alternative ways of making an income to consider horticultural production?
We are having quite an extension of this question.
It is obvious that the Deputy has given some serious thought to the question before the House. Although I would have to say that over the last two years since the establishment of An Bord Glas under my predecessor, Deputy Seamus Kirk, the foundation has been laid for the further expansion of the horticultural industry, I agree with the Deputy that perhaps an insufficient number of farmers recognise the potential of this industry as an alternative enterprise. Since I have come into this office I have been considering the potential for expansion in this area. I am very pleased to hear the Deputy's point about involvement of the co-operative movement. The only way of developing horticulture is through properly organised and co-ordinated producer groups. Unfortunately the producer group structurre does not exist throughout the country. Therefore I intend to have discussions with the heads of the co-operative movement to see if they can motivate that structure within their own areas.
The new tax proposals will not help.
In relation to the reply regarding the acreage under fruit and vegetables, are we meeting the market demand in this country and are imports on the increase?
Unfortunately we are not meeting the entire home market demand. It is in that area that I see potential for short term expansion, and I have replied to the question as to how we can do that. The balance of trade has been static for some time. While we are succeeding in increasing exports of horticultural products, to some extent that is being undermined by the unacceptable level of imports. I would advise the House that sometimes there is a misunderstanding in relation to the global figure for horticultural imports. A very substantial element of that figure represents citrus fruits which, I am sure the Deputy will admit, we not capable of producing at home.
Yes, we are.
Does the export of mushrooms counterbalance the imports?
Yes, it does.
Is the Minister aware of the crisis that exists for many growers in the glasshouse industry in north County Dublin having regard to the increase in the cost of natural gas? Will the Minister meet with representatives of the growers and perhaps An Bord Gáis in an effort to resolve this problem? How does the Minister reconcile the possibility for employment and export in the area of field vegetables, mushrooms and nursery stock with the vicious cuts in Teagasc and the back-up service to the horticultural industry?
The Deputy is raising a separate matter.
I recognise the fact that the glasshouse industry is going through an exceptionally difficult time. Indeed the Deputy has identified some of the reasons why the economics of glasshouse production of horticultural products is not very favourable, relating mainly to the high cost of energy. As regards whether I will meet with representatives of the glasshouse industry, it is my intention to do so and I would be happy to meet with the Deputy or with any Member of this House in relation to setting up such a meeting.
I am happy to be able to confirm that we are the largest exporters of mushrooms to the European market. A very significant development has been made in this regard in recent years. I acknowledge that my predecessor, Deputy Seamus Kirk, played a major role in this area arising from the establishment of An Bord Glas. From my inquiries in the Department, I am satisfied that there is scope for expansion in that industry, but it is a question of phasing in an expansion of the mushroom production programme while at the same time not undermining the efforts of the existing commercial producers who have already invested a lot of money. It is a careful balancing act to which I propose to apply myself in the months ahead.
I welcome the announcement by the Minister because this matter is important to the people of Cavan-Monaghan.
