A national potato shortage in Australia is providing a boom for growers in far north Queensland.
All brushed potatoes in Woolworths supermarkets in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are now being sourced from the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns, after wet weather and frosts significantly reduced southern growers' production.
Growcom's David Nix says many far north Queensland growers are benefitting from the national shortage.
"Potatoes in 50-kilo sacks are bringing $1 a kilo at the moment back to the farmer,"he said.
"The only time we ever saw that was in 1990."
Queensland potato growers profit from potato shortage in Australia
Like to receive news like this by email? Join and Subscribe!
Get the latest potato industry news straight to your WhatsApp. Join the PotatoPro WhatsApp Community!
Related News
June 23, 2026
Wild potato genes help East African farmers cut pesticide costs and fight late blight
East African potato farmers face rising costs from late blight. Through the Crop Trust's BOLD project, breeders and farmers are testing potatoes with wild resistance traits to cut spraying, lower costs and improve food security in Kenya and Uganda.
June 22, 2026
Europatat Welcomes EU NGT Regulation, Opening New Opportunities for Potato Innovation
Europatat welcomes the EU’s adoption of the NGT Regulation, opening new opportunities for innovative potato varieties with improved disease resistance, climate adaptability, and processing traits, while boosting breeding research and investment.
June 16, 2026
Europatat highlights policy, plant health, trade and sustainability priorities in 2025-2026 Activity Report
Europatat's 2025–2026 Activity Report highlights work on NGT regulation, plant health, food safety, seed potato trade, sustainability initiatives and Horizon Europe research projects, while concluding its six-year potato promotion campaign.
