IFA to Hold National Potato Meeting
Sean Ryan, IFA National Potato Chair, has announced that the organization will conduct a national meeting for potato producers on Wednesday, March 13th, at 8 p.m. in the CityNorth Hotel, Gormanston, County Meath.
The seminar will focus on the sector’s biggest concerns, with guest speakers from Teagasc, Bord Bia, and DAFM.
Sean Ryan stated that the last several years have been challenging for farmers. The previous harvest season was one of the most challenging in recent memory, and several producers left substantial acreage of potatoes unharvested.
“Growers are constantly battling market challenges, seed availability, input costs, and longstanding issues such as land availability. These issues must be addressed, or the reduction in the number of growers will inevitably continue,” according to the latest news report from IFA.
Teagasc’s most recent study details how input costs in the industry have remained high. These prices do not include land leasing, which has increased owing to competition from the dairy industry.
“Growers are now at a crossroads in making decisions to continue growing. The sector requires joined-up thinking from all Government departments to address these issues, or this downward trend will continue,” he concluded.
