Vol. 501 No. 1
121 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the degree to which exports of vegetables has developed in the past number of years; the extent of the promotion in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5507/99]
Exports of Irish vegetables have grown in value terms by about 9 per cent between 1995 and 1998. The promotion of these exports is a matter for An Bord Bia. The board operates a range of programmes for export promotion and market development of Irish vegetables. It undertakes, on a joint funding basis with exporters, generic promotions in the UK market and has provided grant aid directly to individual exporters to improve their marketing capabilities. It also jointly funds a market research programme for the industry, assists in the generation of market entry and development and fosters the building of closer relationships between suppliers and their customers.
