A representative for potato growers in the state said Tuesday that other process-ors should be able to pick up the volume of potatoes that would have been handled by the Grandview plant destroyed by fire.
But Dale Lathim, executive director of Othello-based Potato Growers of Washington, said the fire still is a blow to the industry.
"That particular plant is one of the smaller plants in terms of processing volume in the Columbia Basin,"he said. But, "Anytime we lose a plant like that it's going to have an impact."
Lathim, whose organi-zation represents growers in bargaining for what process-ors will pay for raw potatoes, said he hopes the firm will rebuild.
