8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to increase the production of fruit and vegetables in Wales? OAQ53096

Thank you. Through Tyfu Cymru and Farming Connect, we are seeking to build the capacity and capability of the Welsh horticultural sector. Working with our supply chain partners, we are preparing growers to adapt to future environmental challenges and position themselves to capitalise on the growth potential of the sector.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. We currently produce 60 per cent of our own food and a lot fewer fruit and vegetables are produced in this country. Whilst we have absolutely no idea what the outcome of the Brexit negotiations is going to be, it seems to me that we need to prepare for the possibility of the worst-case option of a 'no deal' Brexit, which, of course, would instantly cut us off from our fresh fruit and vegetables. So, in the light of that serious threat to our food security, I wondered what the Government is doing to promote things like the hydroponic system developed by a Cardiff University graduate, Adam Dixon, who has patented something called Phytoponics in Aberystwyth. Using a small greenhouse, they've grown 2 tonnes of tomatoes right up until November, which, to me, is a very important example to farmers who tell me, 'We can't produce vegetables and fruit in this country, because our weather isn't good enough, because our soil isn't appropriate.' It seems to me that that is a demonstrable example of how we can indeed produce our own fresh fruit and vegetables to enable us to service our schools, our hospitals, and, indeed, all our tourist businesses, as well as our local population.

So, I just wondered what the Government is doing to build on the success of Phytoponics. Adam is now going to be representing Europe at the global climate action summit in San Francisco because of the excellence of his work, which, obviously, hopefully, many other countries will build on. But it seems to me that this is something that Wales needs to do as well if we're going to counter the proposals to sell rubbish food from the United States. 

Thank you. You referred to the possibility of a 'no deal' Brexit, and, certainly, we are doing a great deal of work around food supplies. The Welsh Government is a member of the food chain emergency liaison group that has been convened by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, because I think we do recognise there may be a more limited choice of fresh fruit and vegetables because of possible disruption to imports from the EU.

I think horticulture is one area where we do have opportunities to make some real progress. It was very interesting to hear about the piece of work you referred to, and Adam—I would be very interested in hearing more about that. What we do within our food and drink action plan, the current one and the one that we're currently bringing forward to support the one that we've had, in ensuring that our food and drink—. I think there are very ambitious targets within that, and as you know, we've already reached the 2020 target. So, what we want to do within that is support horticultural growers to make sure that they can play their part, and one of our priorities is to support that particular industry and increase horticultural crop production by 25 per cent. That would, then, allow much greater self-sufficiency.

Does the Cabinet Secretary welcome how much more competitive our fruit and vegetable farmers have become against European producers with the lower exchange rate?

Well, I think that might have lulled them into a bit of a false sense of security, certainly some of the farmers I've spoken to over the past couple of years. I've been to a couple of really good horticultural farms. I was in one in west Wales during the summer, and it was wonderful to see the abundance of fruit and veg that they produce. As I say, it is part of our strategy to support them to increase that product by 25 per cent.