AU: Tomato shortage boosts prices
Brisbane vegetable wholesaler Peter Kedwell says there is a shortage of quality tomatoes due to cold and wet conditions in the Bowen area a few weeks ago.
He says prices are expected to stay high for some time.
"For the last few years we've been oversupplied with tomatoes but this year supply is very much shorter and as a consequence we're seeing the prices higher," Mr Kedwell said.
"There's mixed quality ... part of the reason why there's less quantity is because of the bad growing conditions that we've had."
He says consumers are now paying about $10 a kilogram.
"Bowen at this time of year supplies most of the tomatoes for Australia and as a consequence of those wet conditions while planting and growing, there's less quantity available on the market," he said.
Source: www.abc.net.au