It seems this country’s dependence on, or interest in, maize is increasing. Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that 1.2 million tonnes of maize (unmilled and not seed) were imported into this country up until the end of September 2019.
The majority of this is being used for animal feed. However, AgriLand estimates that approximately 100,000t is used in whiskey production.
The current figure is above the total (January-December) imported in 2017, while it is just 400,000t below the total import figure for 2018 when a record 1.6 million tonnes of the product were imported.
It is also worth noting that 2019 imports up until September are ahead of the same time last year. Currently, at 1.2 million tonnes, the figure this time last year was 1.1 million tonnes.
- 2019 – 1,200,725t;
- 2018 – 1,102,815t;
- 2017 – 755,988.6t.
Looking at how this compares to the previous two years, we are already ahead of 2017 levels.
- 2018 – 1,597,070t;
- 2017 – 1,115,593t.
So it looks like Irish farmers got a taste for maize last season when competitively priced imports became more dominant in rations and Irish advisory services increased the promotion of the ingredient in animals’ diets.
Where did the maize come from?
Three main regions provided this corn – Canada, Ukraine and Brazil. While a smaller amount came from within the EU.
- Canada – 417,602t;
- Ukraine – 347,893;
- Brazil – 213,429t.
It should be noted that maize in this category would also be used in the distilling process. This figure accounts for approximately 100,000t each year.
So far this year, 52,612t of maize had been imported from France.