Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed)

Ms Deirdre Fay:

In budget 2024, as the Deputy said, we have an allocation of €1.3 million to support the implementation of the strategy. It is important, as regards the implementation of the strategy, that the buy-in of all stakeholders across the board will be required. That is the allocation we got for it this year. We have eight key strategic actions in the strategy. If all of those actions are implemented over the five-year course of the strategy, the anticipated 30% increase in the sector is the figure we have as a target. The actions in the strategy have not been fully costed yet. On a year-to-year basis, we are subject to the budgetary process.