Farmers produced goods in 2012 despite bad weather

Farmers overcame bad weather in 2012 to keep the Food Harvest 2020 expansion plan firmly on course.

Latest Central Statistics Office figures indicate they increased the value of their farm output last year to 25% above a 2007-2009 baseline.

This puts them within 8% of the Food Harvest 2020 target — with seven years left to reach the 33% goal. And better farming conditions this year, along with favourable price trends, except for grain, could leave farmers already within reach of the 10-year target which was set for them only three years ago.