Defra figures on the value of agriculture in 2015 show the output from fruit and vegetables as bucking the trend for the rest of the farming industry.
While the value of overall output from all crops, once adjusted for inflation, fell by 8% compared to the previous year, caused mainly by a fall in cereal prices, the combined output from horticultural crops increased by 3% to £3,101 million. The biggest increase was in fruit, up £67 million, but the value of plants and flowers fell for the second year running, to £1,149 million.
Total income from farming as a whole dropped by 29%, driven largely by lower commodity prices and a stronger pound against the euro, which affected direct payments, although labour, rent and interest rises were also a factor.