Growing Interest in Soft Fruit Production

Strawberry growing in Ireland continues its rapid expansion and is now worth in excess of €25 million annually. It is against this thriving background that the Teagasc National Soft Fruit Conference and Trade Show will take place on Thursday next, May 4.

The morning session of the conference, at the Hilton Hotel, Malahide, will see speakers from the UK, Holland and Ireland make presentations on the marketing of soft fruit, new strawberry cultivars, the nutritional requirements of the crop and new cutting edge research in strawberry plant production.

The afternoon session and trade show, which takes place at the Teagasc Kinsealy Research and Development Centre, will cover an exciting new research project aimed at providing Irish growers with the expertise to produce their own strawberry plants rather than relying on imports.

Announcing details of the upcoming conference, Teagasc Soft Fruit Specialist,

Dr Eamonn Kehoe, said, “Investment by growers in new technology, is allowing strawberries to be produced from April to November. There is growing demand for fresh soft fruit in Ireland as the consumer becomes increasingly more health conscious”.

He continued saying, “Teagasc is supporting industry initiatives through its latest research projects in Kinsealy. I would urge all producers to attend this upcoming conference, to see the most up-to-date developments in the sector.”