Nursery stock sector expects to drop €24m in value this year

THE value of the nursery stock sector is expected to drop by a whopping €24 million this year as the credit crunch impacts on consumer spending in garden and plant products and landscaping services.

It is accepted that the changes and challenges facing the sector require nurseries to rethink their strategies, reconsider how consumers spend, and reposition their business according to the current economic conditions.

Experts predict that the coming year will also see nurseries applying their knowledge to exploit opportunities by developing new, innovative and competitive products and services that can be exported.

Teagasc horticulture specialist Jim Kelleher told the 22nd national nursery stock conference at Mount Juliet, Co Kilkenny, that 2009 has been a tough trading year for the industry, with many nurseries facing closure. “The coming years will see nurseries needing to exploit income earning opportunities by developing sustainable technologies and practices to reduce their cost base.”

Delegates heard the amenity sector was estimated to be worth €67.4 million to the economy in 2008. But the value of the sector is estimated to drop to €43m in 2009, based on feedback from those involved.

Currently, there are 220 commercial nurseries in Ireland which, with garden centres and the landscaping sector, employ around 3,500 people.

Organised by Teagasc, in association with Bord Bia, the conference brought together a panel of speakers and industry analysts from Holland, England and Ireland.

The aim was to provide valuable assistance to nursery owners in formulating decisions on how sustainable technologies and practices can reduce their cost base while increasing sales.

Delegates heard about developing “green credentials” for their businesses through the Climate Friendly Nurseries Project launched at the conference. They also heard about developing sustainable technologies to keep costs down.