Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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275. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of importation of potatoes into this country in each of the past three years to date including seed potatoes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43884/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Central Statistics Office regularly provide my Department with statistics on the value and volume of Irish trade in agrifood and prepared consumer foods. Figures for 2023 are preliminary.

Table one below shows the total value (thousand Euro) and volume (tonnes) of potatoes, including seed potatoes, imported in the three most recent full years for which data is available (2021-2023). This shows the value of potato and potato-based imports was €229 million in 2023, representing an increase of 24% or €68 million on 2022, while the volume of these imports increased by 6% or 13,613 tonnes.

My Department will continue to monitor trends in the value and volume of agrifood and prepared consumer food trade. I will also continue to work with stakeholders to realise the ambition set out in Food Vision 2030, in particular Mission Three - Food which is Safe, Nutritious and Appealing, Trusted and Valued at Home and Abroad.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to indicate the level of importation of various vegetables into this country in each of the past four years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43885/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Central Statistics Office regularly provide my Department with statistics on the value and volume of Irish trade in agrifood and prepared consumer foods. Figures for 2023 are preliminary.

Table one below shows the total value (thousand Euro) and volume (tonnes) of vegetable imports during 2020-2023. This shows that vegetable imports were valued at €412 million in 2023, and amounted to 342,760 tonnes. This represented an increase of 17% in value and 6% in volume when compared to 2022.

It should be noted that these figures exclude the separate category of vegetable-based products.

It is also important to consider agrifood imports in the context of corresponding exports. Ireland recorded a total agrifood trade surplus of more than €5 billion in 2023 overall.

My Department will continue to monitor trends in the value and volume of agrifood and prepared consumer food trade. I will also continue to work with stakeholders to realise the ambition set out in Food Vision 2030, in particular Mission Three - Food which is Safe, Nutritious and Appealing, Trusted and Valued at Home and Abroad.

Table One: Vegetable Imports Full Year 2020-2023