Who would have known? Tasmania is the french fries capital of the nation. Six out of every ten of the tasty, morish chips are grown and processed in the state.
That was one reason for the big smiles from Water Minister Guy Barnett and Harvest Moon’s Mark Kable, after they finished a tour of Simplot’s french fry processing facility in Ulverstone.
The other reason was the federal government’s announcement on Thursday that the state had been listed as a national priority project for water and irrigation investment.
“We’re talking a $500 million investment over 15 years, with nearly 4000 jobs and more than $100 million coming into the economy every year.
“This is very encouraging. It confirms the confidence the community and the federal government have in the government’s plan to grow the agricultural sector to $10 billion by 2050.”
Mr Barnett said being on the national infrastructure priority list put the state in a good position for being considered at the next step, which was applying for funds.
