The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle TD, welcomed the expenditure allocations announced in Budget 2019.
Expenditure next year will amount to:
- €103m for the Forestry Programme,
- €6m in capital investment for the commercial horticulture sector,
- €16.8m for Bord na gCon,
- €11m is being provided for the Organic Farming Scheme and a further
- €1.2m for development of the Organic Sector.
Funding for capital investments in the commercial horticulture sector has been increased by an additional €1 million to €6 million for 2019 in response to strong demand for investment within the sector and the emerging challenges of Brexit.
“Ireland’s horticulture sector faces a number of challenges in the context of Brexit; however the sector still has significant potential for development. Today’s budget puts the resources in place to maximise the industry’s competitiveness and give growers the potential to capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead building on the work being done in relation to financial mentoring and lean process within the sector”, Doyle said.
Source: DAFM