News on Potatoes for processing from Australia

Agronico, Tasmania’s largest seed potato producer, has entered into an agreement for Simplot to acquire the business and property assets of Agronico.

Potato processor Simplot Australia has refused to budge on its second price offer to Tasmanian farmers for their potato crop this season. Farmers met on Wednesday night to discuss the impasse with the company.

Farmers have rejected a second price offer made by food manufacturer Simplot for their potato crop this season.

Developed by Freshlogic, the annual Horticulture Statistics Handbook includes the latest available data on 75 different categories across fruit, vegetable, nut, nursery, and cut flowers in Australia.

Nicole Stevens traveled to Australia from the United Kingdom after completing her science and tourism management studies. Her career pathway has now diverted to horticulture.

Potato and vegetable growers have vied for the title of top producers as part of Simplot's Annual Grower Awards. The Awards, which have been in place since 1997, recognize the outstanding achievements of Tasmania's potato and vegetable growers during the 2020-2021 harvest.

A storage facility capable of storing 11,000 tonnes of potatoes has opened in Burnie, Tasmania. The facility, which can hold 9,000 tonnes in cold-storage long term as well as a further 2,000 tonnes in short term storage, is run by McCain.

Tasmanian potato growers, who produce the bulk of Australia’s French fries, are having a disastrous harvest. Months of wet weather is making it impossible to get onto paddocks in parts of the state.

A long-awaited price increase has come for the state's McCain potato growers. Grower Beau Gooch said the $33 per tonne increase would help put profitability back in the paddock.

More than 80 potato growers in Tasmania, Australia felt a sense of relief when receiving Simplot's second offer for their processing potatoes, says Nathan Richardson, chairperson of the Tasmanian Farmers & Graziers Association (TFGA) Vegetable Council.

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.

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.

This season, potato processor Simplot agreed to take surplus potatoes in Tasmania.

Australia's national vegetable grower group Ausveg says import controls being recommended by Biosecurity Australia fail to protect Australia's potato industry from the threat of disease.