A NEW £5.1m centre was unveiled yesterday that aims to be a focus for agriculture throughout the North of England.

The sustainable-built Regional Agricultural Centre has been designed to help inject new life into the rural economy.

The centre, at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. will also support the region’s farmers and producers and offer new routes to market for them.

And it will be home to Fodder, a new regional food shop and cafe set up and championed by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, as well as Growing Routes, the Society’s initiative which supports entrepreneurial farmers.

Society chairman Simon Theakston said: "Farming and the food industry are two of the bright spots of the economy; together they form one of the few sectors to show positive growth last year.

"Food and farming are a vital part of the region’s economy turning over £8.6 billion, involving 1,300 businesses and employing over 90,000 people."

He added: "There’s a growing recognition that successful food and farming businesses will help pull Britain out of recession.

"The role of the Regional Agricultural Centre is to support and assist farmers to flourish."

He said that demand for locally-produced food was growing dramatically despite the credit crunch - and the rural economy was meeting the demand and innovating to finding new markets."

"Farming is as volatile as any other industry, but a recession can also signal a time of reinvention and opportunity," he said.

"Farmers are becoming more entrepreneurial than ever and the role of the Regional Agricultural Centre is to give a market to these enterprising producers."