Potato-planting in Ireland is down by 97 per cent since the Famine, according to a book published by the Central Statistics Office. Farming Since the Famine, Irish Farm Statistics 1847-1996, outlines historical trends in the numbers of farm holdings, crop areas and live- stock numbers over the last 150 years.
The acreage under potatoes last year was just 3 per cent of the total immediately before the Famine, a decrease from an estimated 829,875 hectares in 1845 to just 24,000 in 1996. The total area under crops, fruit and horticulture has fallen from 1.4 million hectares in 1851 to 406,000 hectares in 1996.