IRISH potato growers are considering dumping upwards of 30,000 tonnes because over supply in the market has sent prices plummeting, it emerged yesterday.
Two record years for the producers in 1994 and 1995 saw potato prices jump to £260 a tonne but now they are being offered as little as £50 a tonne by buyers, the National Potato Conference was told in Dublin yesterday.
Some of the 300 growers attending the conference, organised by Teagasc and the IFA, advocated dumping surplus product, which may be as high as 60,000 tonnes because of high yields in Ireland and in the rest of the EU.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Jimmy Deenihan, said the past year had been very difficult for Irish growers because EU production increased by 11 per cent to 690,000 tonnes.
"Because of over production throughout the EU, export markets for our surplus production which existed in the first half of 1996 all but disappeared. Supply outstripped demand and this led to a severe drop in price.
He said falling income from the crop had been exacerbated by high prices paid for rented land in 1996.
The chief executive of An Bord Glas, Mr Brendan O'Donnell, said he hoped growers would remain in the business and not opt out of production this year. He estimated that production was 44,700 acres last year, a 25 per cent increase since 1989.
Consumers are currently paying £1.29p per 3 kg bag of washed potatoes and 75p per kg for loose potatoes. This is a considerable drop on consumer prices compared to last year.