Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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73. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied the current €850 million per annum level of food and food industry related imports is sustainable; if his Department has explored the possibility of more sustainable alternatives to reduce dependence, for example, the potential for increased fruit and vegetable production; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7146/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is small open economy which exports the vast bulk of its main agricultural commodities. Between the period 2009 to 2016 agri-food exports increased by 56% from €7.8 billion to €12.2 billion to over 180 destinations worldwide. While full year figures are not yet available from the Central Statistics Office, returns indicate that exports for January – November 2017 totalled €12.4 billion.

Total agri-food sector imports for 2016 came to €8.2 billion from over 180 destinations worldwide.  While full year figures are not yet available from the Central Statistics Office, returns indicate total agri-food imports for January - November 2017 totalled €7.9 billion.

Food Wise 2025, the new ten year strategy for the agri-food sector published in 2015 identifies the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and provides an enabling strategy that will allow the sector to grow and prosper. Food Wise includes more than 400 specific recommendations, spread across the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, innovation, human capital, market development and competitiveness; as well as specific sectoral recommendations.

If these recommendations are implemented, the expert committee which drew up the Food Wise 2025 Strategy believes that the following growth projections are achievable by 2025: increasing the value of agri-food exports by 85% to €19 billion; increasing value added in the sector by 70% to in excess of €13 billion; and increasing the value of primary production by 65% to almost €10 billion. With regard to employment, Food Wise foresees the creation of 23,000 additional jobs in the agri-food sector all along the supply chain from primary production to high value added product development.