asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will make a statement on the amount of nitrogen which was used in agriculture (a) this year to date and (b) last year; and the amount which was home produced.
Written Answers. - Use of Nitrogen in Agriculture.
82.
The quantity of nitrogen, in terms of plant nutrient N, used in agriculture in the relevant periods was: January-June 1989, 292,000 tonnes; in January-June period of 1988, 276,000 tonnes; January-December 1988, 333,000 tonnes.
Over 90 per cent of the fertiliser was sold under the names of Irish manufacturers but about 40 per cent of the nitrogenous material had been imported for further processing or for incorporation into compound fertilisers.