Tasmanian potato growers supplying McCain Foods (Australia) Pty. Ltd. have won an average $30 a tonne pay raise for next season, matching the 12 percent raise given earlier in August by Simplot Australia Pty. Ltd.
McCain has also asked growers to produce an extra 30,000 tonnes of potatoes to make up for drought-driven shortfalls in Victoria.
Grower Phillip Beswick tells the Australian Broadcasting Corp. he is feeling confident about 2008 and is pleased with the price raise.
"It's pretty well in line of where we thought we'd be able to get to in the negotiations," he says. "It's more than we probably anticipated at the beginning of the season, but due to the shortage in supply, we've been able to achieve a bit of a premium price this year."
Simplot Australia is to pay an extra $30 a tonne for first grade potatoes and $27.50 for all other processing potatoes.