The area of potatoes planted in Ireland is up 2.8% year-on-year, from 8,500ha to 8,800ha, the latest figures (for June 2016) from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
The increase comes following a record low year of potato plantings in 2015. The area planted has been in decline since 2013, when some 10,700ha of potatoes were planted.
IFA Potato Chairman, Eddie Doyle, said that yields are in general, back this year, even though it has been a better year for growth.
“There will be a market for all good quality potatoes this year and the quality this year is good so far.”
Doyle said that the main crop harvest won’t start for about another two weeks, but that clearance in fields is good at the moment and that most crops are fully matured.
Meanwhile, overall preliminary estimates for June 2016 show that the area under cereals decreased by 14,800 hectares (-5.1%) to 277,600ha
Spring wheat plantings in Ireland declined 26% on 2015 to 7,500ha while the area of winter wheat was up 7.9% to 59,600ha.
The area of spring oats planted was down 18.6% year-on-year to 9,800ha, while winter oat plantings saw an increase of 15.6% to 13,100ha.
Looking at spring barley, plantings were down year-on-year by 15.1% to 113,000ha while the area of winter barley sown was up 5.7% to 73,800ha.