Tasmanian onion growers who supply Field Fresh are asking questions that might take some time to answer following major crop devaluation and low pack-out rates reported in recent days. “There could be reasons why there is a problem. They grow for different companies and they grow under different arrangements,” a spokesperson for one grower told Fresh Plaza, when asked whether the suggestion that the cause could be botrytis neck rot, which wiped out $10 million from Tasmanian onion crops in 2006 and may have reappeared, was valid. “There’s more to it than what’s been highlighted, and it would not be appropriate to comment” said another spokesperson for a competitor to Field Fresh.
Other suggestions that have been circulated among growers and the media are that there could have been a nutritional deficiency in the soil the onions were grown in. “It’s a professional business where you’re always testing the soil for nutrients. Sometimes weather conditions can inhibit uptake of certain nutrients at certain times,” said the grower who spoke to Fresh Plaza on condition they remain anonymous.
Some 60 growers from Tasmania are known to harvest for Field Fresh, which supplies around one fifth of the nation’s onion crop, and exports to 14 different countries. At least a dozen are said to be affected by low pack-outs, and some are still seeing above average pack outs of 80-84% from Field Fresh storage facilities.
Growers crop loss experiences have varied from about one quarter to as much as three quarters according to reports, following some weeks in storage after they were harvested. This translates to losses of up to $150,000 or more for growers affected.
Any attempt at analyzing the reason for such significant crop losses is hindered by the fact that growers are not all willing to speak freely, and the fact that no exact cause or issue has been made public knowledge at this point in time.
The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association's Nathan Richardson is representing the growers affected by the low pack-outs. More details are expected when Mr Richardson, and the TFGA, meet representatives of Field Fresh parent company Webster next week to discuss the situation.