News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from Australia

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.

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

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

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.

A significant rise in potato imports into Australia is forecast for 2016, sparking concern about the profitability and competitiveness of the Australian potato industry over the coming months.

Frozen French fry maker Simplot Australia has agreed to pay its Tasmanian potato suppliers 5 per cent more, phased in over the next three years.

Western Australia's potato industry will be deregulated in July and the highly restrictive Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC) abolished by the end of the year.

Tasmania's fresh potato growers are building mainstream markets for unusual potatoes, all the way to Dubai.

South Australia will actively pursue the Asian market for export of its crisping and seed potatoes.

The Premier of Western Australia, Colin Bartlett, reportedly told The West Australian that it was time for rules that dictated the varieties, quantities and price of potatoes grown in Western Australia - and the Potato Marketing Corporation - to go.

Tony Galati, owner of the West Australian Produce Chain 'Spud Shed', wants to add up to four extra stores to his existing Spud Shed network over the next few years and is working on opening up export markets for Western Australia potatoes.

Potato farmers in south-east Victoria (Australia) are missing out on profits as potatoes lie in paddocks, waiting for demand to pick up so they can be harvested.

The South Australian Government is partnering with Potatoes South Australia to gain export access and expand the state’s seed and fresh potato industry within the growing international markets of Thailand and Malaysia.

Australia’s industry association of vegetable and potato growers, AUSVEG, has welcomed the announcement by the Federal Minister for Agriculture that the Federal Government will review the current process by which biosecurity threats are assessed.

The Government of the Australian State Victoria is working to facilitate seed potato exports to Indonesia before the end of the year