Do you know what fruit and vegetables are grown in Ireland?
Earlier this week AgriLand released figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine which showed the areas of land planted to the main tillage crops in this country.
The data was obtained from Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) applications sent into the Department of Agriculture in 2020.
The data showed that the area planted to winter cereals had declined by 40%, while spring crop area had increased.
The table below shows some of the areas of fruit and vegetables planted in 2020 in hectares. However, it comes with a cautionary note; while the areas of field vegetables listed below are most likely fairly accurate, there may be some areas of plants like tomatoes and strawberries which are not recorded under the BPS as farmers do not apply for the scheme.
However, it does give consumers an idea of what can be grown in Ireland and what to look out for with an Irish label in the supermarket.
From now on, plenty of Irish fruit and vegetables will be available in shops and the season so far has been tough for many growers due to drought conditions on farms. Supporting Irish can give these businesses support.
The table shows the crops and the area planted to these crops in 2020.
Data source: DAFM