It was really encouraging to visit the National Fruit Show last week and pick up on a very positive vibe among exhibitors and visitors alike.

With floor space sold out, footfall high and more entries in the fruit competition than ever before, the general sense was of an industry ready to take the bull by the horns and tackle the challenges heading its way.

Leading apple players are confident that English fruit will put in a sterling performance this season, and varieties such as Jazz, Cameo and Rubens appear to be growing in popularity, thanks to an increase in production area and well targeted promotional campaigns.

Coupled with last week’s launch of a DEFRA fresh produce task force, the news this week that Cabinet ministers at 10 Downing Street enjoyed some English top fruit (p5) suggests that things are also heading in the right direction in government circles. In Hilary Benn, we certainly seem to have a secretary of state who is far more interested in the fresh produce sector than his recent predecessors. Perhaps this means there will finally be some tangible results on issues such as labour shortages, food security and R&D funding - all of which cropped up at the National Fruit Show as hot topics for discussion.

It is far too early to be talking about the green shoots of recovery within the wider economy - but perhaps we are seeing the first seeds sown for the fresh produce industry.