News on Potato Cultivation from Australia

Nine Global Potato Industry Award Winners were honoured at the 12th World Potato Congress in Adelaide, Australia.

Scientists have developed a more planet-friendly way to produce fertilizer, which is an essential component of global food systems.

HarvestEye - a sensor that measures tuber quality during harvest - is now available to potato growers in Australia. Elders was appointed as the exclusive reseller of the system in the country.

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, a Canadian pension fund, acquires the majority stake in Mitolo Family Farms, the largest potato grower and packer in Australia.

Potato farmers in the Ballarat region are demanding a pay rise for their produce, claiming McCain Foods does not pay a fair price for the popular mealtime vegetable. Last season McCain Foods paid growers an average of AUD 0.33 (about USD 0.23)

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.

West-Australian Potato farmers are warning that growers will walk away from the industry as cost pressures make the staple crop unviable 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.

The World Potato Congress is extremely pleased to present its next webinar on Tuesday, April 6, 2021/Wednesday, April 7, 2021, with Dr. Paul Horne, Entomologist, and owner and Director of IPM Technologies Pty Ltd., Hurstbridge, Victoria, Australia.

The recent finalization of a takeover of Thomas Foods International’s potato business and a spike in demand through the coronavirus pandemic has cemented Mitolo Group as Australia’s largest fresh spud producer.

Following eight years at the helm of Potatoes South Australia, Robbie Davis will be stepping down from her role of Chief Executive at the end of 2020.

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.

Backed overwhelmingly by industry, the Potato Growers Association of Western Australia (PGAWA) is moving forward to establish an export entity by May 2020.

One of Australia’s largest potato wholesalers, Mitolo Group, has been fined for entering into unfair contracts with growers.

Tasmanian potato growers say Simplot is not paying them enough for their vegetables, as they negotiate a new contract with the vegetable processing giant.

Australian potato growers keen to learn about the latest research for managing key pests and diseases on potato farms have an opportunity to listen to leading experts at a Potato Industry Research and Development (R&D) Forum in Melbourne this week.

Researchers from Australia, Germany, Switzerland and the US have quantified the effect of climate extremes, such as droughts or heatwaves, on the yield variability of staple crops around the world.