Potatoes New Zealand

Potatoes New Zealand chief executive Champak Mehta says the industry now has the potato psyllid well under control thanks to the knowledge gained through research.

Potatoes New Zealand Inc. has won funding from the Ministry of Primary Industries for a major research project aimed at improving crop yield, more specifically, the impact of crop rotations on soil borne diseases and soil quality.

There's a major potato shortage in New Zealand and it's big enough that it's forced chip producers to temporarily stop production in the countdown to Christmas.

Potatoes New Zealand chief executive Champak Mehta said potato growers around the country were reporting that weather conditions were causing a bit a of a harvesting headache - especially getting the delicate new season's potatoes out of the ground safely