After a few bad years for the potato industry, the sector is back into positive territory.

According to data from Kantar Worldpanel, presented at the national potato conference in Dublin on Tuesday, 2015 saw growth in terms of both value and volume in the potato market for the first time since 2008. Value was up 14% in 2015 and volume was up 6.5%.

The conference was organised by the IFA and Teagasc with Bord Bia.

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Last September, Bord Bia, in conjunction with the IFA and the Irish Potato Federation, embarked on an EU- and industry-funded three-year promotional campaign for potatoes in Ireland and the UK.

The campaign –‘‘Potatoes: More Than A Bit On The Side’’ – worth €1m in Ireland, aims to raise the image and profile of potatoes, which have seen falling consumption levels in recent years.

Bord Bia estimates that there has been a 50% decrease in volume per household over the last decade. There are 500 potato growers in Ireland, with total area of production covering 20,692 acres (8,374ha) in 2015.

The most popular variety is Roosters (almost six in 10 potatoes planted and purchased in Ireland are Roosters) and the key production counties are Meath, Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Cork and Donegal.