News on The Potato Supply Chain from Australia

Raylea Rowbottom, a researcher of the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture says it's inevitable that the potato psyllid, a destructive insect that has threatened tomato and potato crops in Western Australia will make it to the east coast.

After 6 months building (and over 8 years in planning) Agronico has opened its new seed potato storage in Spreyton, Tasmania.

West Australian potato growers want their potatoes back on dinner plates every day to help ease a massive glut. The advertising campaign - named Todatoes - began Saturday night with the start of a prime-time television advertising campaign.

Seed potato growers on Kangaroo Island - an island off the mainland of South Australia - are successfully adopting a new strategy to manage the aphids and thrips pestering their crops, taking on expert advice from agronomists and entomologists to adopt integrated pest management for these insect pests.

For almost 50 years, Bernie White has grown potatoes in the rich, red, volcanic soil of Trentham, the traditional potato patch in Victoria, Australia. Now he doesn't know if his farm has a future.

Alan Parker looked out onto the farm business he had spent his entire life establishing. The West Australian seed potato grower will know in the next six weeks whether his lifelong career will continue.

Potato Psyllids, a destructive plant pest found for the first time in Australia in February cannot be eradicated, so the industry will seek to manage it, rather than destroy it, according to The Department of Food and Agriculture of West Australia.

Potato producers in south-west Western Australia say the detection of the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) is a "serious blow" to their industry. The detection of the psyllid may put national and international exports in jeopardy.

Heavy rain, particularly in New South Wales (Australia), combined with a cold winter have led to a tight potato supply and high prices.

Potato Farmer Peter Scott from the Otways region in Victoria, Australia expects to make up to a million packages of purple potato chips this year.

Leading Australian vegetable industry body AUSVEG has announced the appointment of James Whiteside as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective Friday 9 December 2016.

New South Wales potato grower Geoff Moar has been re-elected to the position of AUSVEG Chair and Queensland vegetable grower Belinda Adams has been elected to the position of AUSVEG Deputy Chair following a Board meeting held on Thursday 24 November in Sydney.

Australia is experiencing a potato shortage because of flood-effected potato crops in the southern states.

According to a Deloitte spokesman South Australian fresh produce company the Mitolo Group had taken control of all South Australian-owned farms of bankrupt Oakville Produce, as well as packaging businesses in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney - as of September 23.

Western Australia's Parliament has cleared the way for full deregulation of the state's potato industry, passing legislation to abolish the controversial Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC).

Scottsdale farmers Jerrod and Susan Nichols are preparing to plant their 2016 spring crops, but say processing potatoes for McCain would not be in the mix unless prices lifted.

AUSVEG and PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited (PMA-ANZ) will unite to deliver a joint industry conference and trade show in 2017.

Australia's food regulator has called for submissions as it reviews a genetically-modified potato designed to produce less chemicals when fried.