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Tomato prices surge in Australia as virus outbreak and wet weather trigger major shortage

Tomato prices surge in Australia as virus outbreak and wet weather trigger major shortage

Economic Times7 hours ago

Australia faces a tomato shortage due to a reduction in supply caused by heavy rain and virus outbreaks. Prices have increased significantly. Supermarkets are working to resolve the issue. Prices are expected to come down soon. Normal supply is anticipated by August or September, and consumers are hopeful for relief in the near future.
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Tomatoes seem to have become harder to come by in Australia as consumers are forced to pay exorbitant prices due to supply issues in recent weeks. As fresh varieties of tomatoes are affected by different degrees, two major supermarket chains of Australia have reported supply issues.Challenging weather conditions in northern Australia and detection of tomato brown rugose fruit virus in South Australia and Victoria have played a vital role in reducing stocks, yield and quality of tomatoes, according to ABC News. According to major supermarket and wholesale suppliers Flavourite, the average price of tomatoes has increased by $5 per kilo.Flavourite's chief marketing officer, Sam Kisvarda, has said that consumers are paying 'never seen before prices' as the weather in northern Australia and the virus outbreak in Victoria and South Australia halted the supply of the staple product. "At this time of the year in winter, compared to a usual year, it's about $5 more per kilo on average," he said.The shortage of tomatoes in supermarkets has been caused by wild weather in Queensland, including heavy rain and flooding from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred and unseasonably cool conditions. According to ABC News, tomatoes were planted later than usual in the Sunshine State, so there have been delays in the fruit ripening.The supermarkets are anticipating things to change soon and are very hopeful that the tomatoes will return on the shelves. "We are working closely with our network of growers across Australia on product specifications and increasing our sourcing options," a Coles spokesperson said, ABC News reported.Kisvarda stated that he expected prices to start to come down in the coming weeks. "We should be back to normal supply by August or September," he said.

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Tomato prices surge in Australia as virus outbreak and wet weather trigger major shortage
Tomato prices surge in Australia as virus outbreak and wet weather trigger major shortage

Economic Times

time7 hours ago

  • Economic Times

Tomato prices surge in Australia as virus outbreak and wet weather trigger major shortage

Australia faces a tomato shortage due to a reduction in supply caused by heavy rain and virus outbreaks. Prices have increased significantly. Supermarkets are working to resolve the issue. Prices are expected to come down soon. Normal supply is anticipated by August or September, and consumers are hopeful for relief in the near future. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why are there no tomatoes in supermarkets? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads When will tomatoes return to supermarkets? Tomatoes seem to have become harder to come by in Australia as consumers are forced to pay exorbitant prices due to supply issues in recent weeks. As fresh varieties of tomatoes are affected by different degrees, two major supermarket chains of Australia have reported supply weather conditions in northern Australia and detection of tomato brown rugose fruit virus in South Australia and Victoria have played a vital role in reducing stocks, yield and quality of tomatoes, according to ABC News. According to major supermarket and wholesale suppliers Flavourite, the average price of tomatoes has increased by $5 per chief marketing officer, Sam Kisvarda, has said that consumers are paying 'never seen before prices' as the weather in northern Australia and the virus outbreak in Victoria and South Australia halted the supply of the staple product. "At this time of the year in winter, compared to a usual year, it's about $5 more per kilo on average," he shortage of tomatoes in supermarkets has been caused by wild weather in Queensland, including heavy rain and flooding from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred and unseasonably cool conditions. According to ABC News, tomatoes were planted later than usual in the Sunshine State, so there have been delays in the fruit supermarkets are anticipating things to change soon and are very hopeful that the tomatoes will return on the shelves. "We are working closely with our network of growers across Australia on product specifications and increasing our sourcing options," a Coles spokesperson said, ABC News stated that he expected prices to start to come down in the coming weeks. "We should be back to normal supply by August or September," he said.

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