Potato farmers in the Ballarat region are demanding a higher price for their produce, claiming McCain Foods does not pay a fair price for the tuber. Last season, McCain Foods paid growers an average of 33 cents per kilo of potatoes delivered to the local processing plant, a figure that farmers said was well below the rising cost of production.
One farmer said the local growers' association had approached the processor on Monday asking for 59 cents per kilo, a 78% price increase. The requested price rise reflected the current cost of production and rising input costs, such as increased fertiliser and fuel prices, and also allowed the farmers to turn a profit.
Source: abc.net.au