asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is satisfied with the progress being made to import substitute the considerable amount of fruit and vegetables coming into the country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fruit and Vegetable Imports Substitution.
14.
Home production of fruit and vegetables grown for the fresh market has been expanding and there was, in fact, a 6 per cent increase in acreage between 1981 and 1984. Efforts are being continued by my Department, An Foras Taluntais and An Comhairle Oiliuna Talmhaiochta (ACOT), in conjunction with the growers' organisations, to seek ways of further reducing imports by the application of new production technology, the improvement of marketing arrangements and the provision of a new horticultural advisory service.
The framework for continuing progress is provided by the financial aid available from my Department for the conversion of glasshouses to solid fuel heating, for the employment of a market co-ordinator for the glasshouse industry and for setting up producer groups as well as the more general aid available under the farm modernisation scheme. The scope for development and expansion exists and I am confident that with the full co-operation of the growers and the other interests in the industry real progress will continue to be made to reduce imports.
Will the Minister agree that in the areas where real progress can be made so far as import substitution is concerned the proper measures are not being taken to expedite that process? In his reply he referred to the installation of solid fuel boilers. Having regard to the capital investment necessary for such installation, will the Minister not agree that it will be beyond the capacity of many growers to make that investment because of their severe financial position and the glasshouse industry will continue to suffer?
Any capital investment is not easy nowadays in the light of current interest rates. I hope they will come down and thus allow people to invest. The whole thrust of what we are doing is designed to reduce the volume of imported fruit and vegetables that can be produced at home. The vast bulk of our imports is incapable of being produced in a climate like ours. We have made considerable progress towards attacking that import bill. I do not know if the Deputy attended the recent launch by ACOT of their new advisory services geared towards the fruit and vegetable market which took place at Warrenstown. That event showed the earnestness of ACOT in tackling the problem. An Foras Talúntais are making trojan efforts to develop new technology that will allow people to grow fruit and vegetables in better conditions. The move has been reasonably successful. We anticipate that the system that was unveiled at Warrenstown will reduce vegetable imports next year by approximately £10 million. It may not be a great amount but it is a beginning.
Having due regard for the trojan work of An Foras Talúntais and ACOT, will the Minister not agree that the Government measures introduced, particularly in relation to the glasshouse industry, are unsatisfactory and will not produce results as quickly as they should because of the state of the industry for some time past?
Is that a question or a statement?
I will be quite happy to look at the point raised by the Deputy. I can see there are problems with regard to capital investment and I hope I may be able to assist in the capital development to which he referred. We have difficulty from the Dutch glasshouse industry, particularly concerning the production of tomatoes. We believe the Dutch are using a subsidised gas system that is not in conformity with EC regulations and this country, together with other EC countries, have objected repeatedly to this. The Dutch have been found to be in contravention of EC regulations in this connection but at present they are appealing their case to a higher court.
Will the Minister say——
There is another question on the Order Paper that has to be dealt with first. I am calling Deputy De Rossa.
Proinsias De Rossa
In his reply the Minister spoke of a 6 per cent increase in acreage. Will he indicate the number of acres involved and also the vegetables that were grown as a result of this increase?
My reputation for being good at sums and statistics is not exceptionally high——
The Minister was wrong in the sums in respect of milk.
The present acreage under fruit and vegetables is 17,000. If the Deputy does a little sum he may be able to deduce what the 6 per cent increase means in acres. We are trying to produce a range of products at an earlier date during the year and during the winter months, at which time of the year they are not available at present. That is one of the main thrusts of the new project being undertaken by ACOT.
As it is now 3.30, the time for lottery questions has concluded and we are moving to nominated questions.
On the priority questions, I submitted to your office yesterday a question which unfortunately was ruled out of order and I am now precluded from asking the supplementaries that would have compensated for that ruling.
The Deputy is bound by the time limit just as the Chair is bound in that respect also. He will find that the new procedure will improve Question Time.