asked the Minister for Agriculture how the finance which was made available to the National Vegetable Co-operative will be spent.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Vegetable Co-operative.
40.
The aid made available to the Commercial Horticultural Producers' Society of Ireland Ltd. will be used to improve the overall co-ordination of production and marketing of Irish vegetables. The provision of a suitable premises and the employment of a staff of two members are the main items of expenditure incurred in this development.
Will the Minister of State agree that he is approaching the problems of the horticultural sector in a piecemeal way and that there is a serious lack of proper development policy for the industry at this time?
No. We have had several meetings with the farmers' associations and with the growers themselves. Yes, part of it is piecemeal in that we had to start somewhere and we started in an area that was most likely to succeed, that was in the Dublin meat area. Already we have seen some progress in Wexford, Cork and other areas and it is hoped to have an overall umbrella group and eventually that this operation, which is proving so successful in Dublin meat, will spread out into other areas.
Has the Minister of State any plans to look at the producer group grant scheme at present operated by his Department to encourage horticulturalists to become involved in a co-operative way in the selling of their produce?
We have confined our grants at the moment with regard to groups. Of course, we have the ordinary grants under the farm modernisation schemes. We have extended grants very much into the glasshouse industry and already a number of big operators have availed of this grant, that is for the conversion from oil to solid fuel. We have already made £66,000 available to this co-operative.
What plans has the Minister of State to stem the tide of potato and vegetable imports into the country at this time?
Potato and vegetable imports are on the downward trend and have been so since we took action, especially with regard to potatoes. We have also set up a national potato co-operative. This started out as a producer group who found that they had marketing problems, and they have come together with a group of people on the marketing side and formed a marketing arm for this. It is hoped that they will work in conjunction with the vegetable co-operatives to do exactly as the Deputy says. We are having a good deal of success in the areas of ordinary vegetables. Our biggest problem is to spread our wings in those areas of production where we are not very proficient, that is in the production of lettuce, carrots and such crops on an all the year round basis.
That concludes Question Time.
Sir, I look for your guidance on a Private Notice Question——
Deputy, wait for a moment. That concludes Question Time. Questions down for oral answer which have not been reached will go for written answer in accordance with Standing Orders.