Call for potato facility to curb imports
The potato industry now wants a processing facility established on Ireland to head off imports and help it to meet that market demand.
IFA president John Dillon made the call yesterday after revealing that the 100,000 tonnes of frozen chips imported each year are equivalent to 30% of the national potato crop.
He told the IFA-Teagasc potato conference in Maynooth, Co Kildare, that a processing facility is needed to maintain supply to local markets and displace rising imports of processed potato products.
Mr Dillon said the all year round availability of quality Irish potatoes is now taken for granted by consumers.
“This has come through targeted investment by farmers of over €60 million in storage and handling facilities in the last 10 years, which has positioned us as having the most developed grower base in Europe,” he said.
Mr Dillon said while the fresh market has benefited enormously from the improvement in growing and handling infrastructure, sales in the sector are declining.
IFA potato chairman John Sheridan said over supply in the market is currently undermining confidence and prices.
While exports to Britain offer some potential for the market, the longer-term sustainable solution is for growers to plant to their market requirements, he said.
Teagasc potato specialist Tom Maher advised growers to reduce the area planted in 2004. Good yields and excellent harvesting conditions last autumn led to an over-supply of potatoes leading to a big price drop.
As a result, profitability of potatoes has fallen dramatically and many of the country’s 800 growers have made a loss of up to €1,250 per hectare.
