Australia: Potato and onion shortages due to extreme weather

"We supply the market year-round with potatoes from our three growing regions in South Australia," says John Tselekidis, Head of Sales and Marketing at Mitolo Family Farms.

Potatoes: "This potato season has been one of the toughest in more than a decade. Over the past five months, extreme weather conditions have led to reduced yields and significant shortages. A hot summer, followed by heat waves at the end of the season, caused elevated soil temperatures. This was followed by cold, wet, and windy conditions, resulting in lower yields and increased defects such as cold cracking, crop damage, skin blemishes, and more noticeable lenticels. While the blemishes are cosmetic, they have affected overall quality and marketable supply."

Mitolo Family Farms harvests over 200,000 tons annually and focuses primarily on the domestic market. Any potato exports are destined for the Middle East and Southeast Asia.Onions:The company harvests more than 70,000 tons of onions annually, also in the same regions as its potatoes. "Our white onion program is very small, less than 5%, and these are primarily destined for export. In Australia, there is limited demand for white onions, with consumers preferring brown and red varieties."

John noted that onion production faced similar challenges this year as potatoes, due to the long, hot, and dry summer. "While size wasn’t affected, our yield and quality were affected. The domestic market remains stable, but in recent months we’ve seen significant cost increases, which are putting pressure on consumer prices and demand. I expect this situation to improve in the coming year. The main export markets for our onions are the Middle East and Europe," John concluded.

For more information:

Lucy McFarlane

Mitolo Family Farms

Tel: +61 08 8282 9000

lucy.mcfarlane@mitolofamilyfarms.com.au

mitolofamilyfarms.nl