Arabic version: مزارعو البطاطس في تسمانيا يضغطون على «سيمبلوت» بشأن شروط العقود
According to ABC News, Tasmanian potato growers and frozen-chip manufacturer Simplot remain without a price agreement for the upcoming season, with early potato planting only weeks away. Growers rejected the company’s proposed price reduction after Simplot ended price talks earlier this month.
The proposed return would leave growers receiving 46 to 49 cents a kilogram, while potatoes cost about 42 cents a kilogram to grow, or around $25,000 a hectare. Growers said the offer represented a 57 per cent drop in returns compared with two years ago. Potatoes are Tasmania’s most valuable agricultural sector, according to the report.
The dispute also concerns proposed contract conditions. TasFarmers vegetable council chair Nathan Richardson said an agreement could make farmers liable for chip-product recalls and subsequent legal proceedings months after potatoes had left their farms. He also criticised Simplot for approaching individual growers with incomplete contracts before they had seen a new supply agreement, giving them seven days to sign.
Simplot has cut potato volumes and cancelled a number of contracts, while the Australian Manufacturing and Workers’ Union said the company indicated it would reduce volumes through its Ulverstone plant by about 30,000 tonnes from the 2027 harvest. Simplot said it rejected suggestions it had acted inappropriately or pressured growers, and said it was engaging professionally and in good faith. The company has agreed to meet the grower negotiating committee at the end of the week.
