THE NUMBER of potatoes being planted in the Republic continues to fall as farmers face major difficulties from imports, low pricing and falling consumption.
A major report on the sector compiled by the Irish Farmers Association has shown a drop of nearly 3,500 acres of potato crop between 2010 and 2011.
There was also a major drop in the tonnage produced over the two years to 375,774 tonnes in 2011 from 436,028 tonnes in the record year of 2010, showing a drop of 16 per cent.
The report, Trends and Challenges in Irish Potato Production highlights the need for a statutory code of practice for the retail sector and the appointment of an ombudsman.
This person, said the report, should have legal powers to demand information from retailers as part of their investigations and provide anonymity and confidentiality to suppliers complaining against retailers.
Thomas Carpenter, chairman of the IFA’s potato committee, said selling Irish-grown potatoes as lost leaders in supermarkets would ultimately drive growers out of business.
He also called for the proper recording of imported potatoes as in excess of 50,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes come in from the UK where production and consumer prices are lower.
The report said another major problem for growers is that some of the merchant/packer companies holding supermarket supply contracts are very significant growers themselves.
Mr Carpenter said there was a drop in the consumption of fresh potatoes to processed products such as frozen chips and French fries, which were all imported. The report called for a well-timed marketing promotion of fresh potatoes to focus on the sustainability of locally-grown produce and the health benefits of eating potatoes.
“However, a full understanding and recognition of the cost of production of Irish potatoes is needed by all stakeholders in the supply chain because ignoring this will eventually lead to the demise of the Irish potato industry,” he said.
The survey showed growers spend over €3,100 to produce an acre of potatoes and Rooster is the biggest variety grown, at 56 per cent of the national crop.