Heatwave ruins Ballarat potato crops

Hundreds of millions of [Australian] dollars may have been wiped off the incomes of potato growers in the Ballarat region because of last week's heatwave.

Norm Suckling farms a property near Creswick, north of Ballarat.

He estimates hundreds of tonnes of his 65 hectare potato crop have been ruined.

Mr Suckling says many other potato farmers are reporting similar problems, which could translate to AUS$350 million in lost profits, come the April harvest.