Australia: Fast growing fresh cut potato market

The Australian potato industry has been suffering from a short supply recently, but according to reports this week things are about to improve as the crop comes on line. South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales were significantly affected but Queensland got off a bit lighter. According to Kerri Lamb from Wickham Farms, “we are farmers, we just persevere. We are growers so we have control over our supply chain, we can supply our customers although we don’t have excess stock.” Wickham Farms grows in different locations across Queensland for the Queensland market. The company grows about 6000 tons for Coles supermarkets and also supply fresh prepared potatoes for caterers, food service and food manufacturers. “The fresh prepared market has been growing quickly in the last few years and now we grow varieties specifically for this market. It is more economical for businesses to buy pre-prepared potatoes especially if they are using consistently large volumes,” according to Kerri. More