The Horticultural Industry Forum (HIF) met today and in my capacity as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Horticulture, I was honoured to co-chair.
The meeting, which discussed ways to progress key issues within the industry. This is a sector with huge potential and today was a welcome opportunity to look at important areas for its development, including grower collaboration, research and development, market opportunities and public policy. Such development will take effort and commitment, which is why I was happy to secure a substantially increased budget allocation for horticulture for 2021.
The 50% budget increase for the scheme of investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector, to €9 million, highlights my commitment to this sector and signals clearly that we are supporting its ongoing expansion and development.
You can read the full press release on gov.ie.