The damage to tomato crops from last month's devastating hailstorm has added to that from last summer's storms and is expected to see tomato prices rise in the coming months as supply dwindles.
This year’s tomato harvest in the Goulburn Valley has been severely affected by last year’s heavy rain and a severe storm last month.
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Some field tomato farmers have reported losses of more than 50 per cent of their crop, caused by later spring plantings, hail damage and disease.
The low supply is expected to impact prices in both regional and Melbourne stores as well as SPC’s production of canned tomatoes.
La Bella Rocca Fruit owner Rosa Bandera said the shortage in their Wangaratta store had not yet been felt but her trips to farms to collect tomatoes had been reduced.
“Normally we do about 10 trips every tomato season for preserving, but this year it has only been about three or four,” Mrs Bandera said.
“They’re practically non-existent.
“We haven’t really been impacted yet but there is talk that there will be a shortage and then the price will go up.”
Cobram’s Manto Produce owner John Mantovani said his main suppliers of tomatoes had limited supply for his providore.
“The farmers have been slammed twice by hailstorms,” Mr Mantovani said.
“Tomatoes are in limited supply.”
Increased prices have also affected the Melbourne market.
Luke Bartlett from Toscano’s grocers in Kew said the Goulburn Valley growers’ losses meant their stores were forced to import from South Australia and Queensland.
Regional hydroponic growers have not been impacted due to glasshouse protection and non-reliance on soil.
Yarrawonga hydroponic grower Annie Ross said the quality and quantity of this year’s harvest had not been affected.
“We sell to a different market than field growers, so we have not been able to fill the space left by poor supply,” Ms Ross said.
“Our sales this year have been as good as any other year.”
One Tatura farmer told Country News that his farm had experienced a “complete wipe-out” due to hailstorms before Christmas and last month’s severe storm.
The farmer provides tomatoes solely to fresh markets and said the option of selling to a cannery now would be out-priced by the cost to pick the fruit.
“It makes it very frustrating,” he said.
“We lost 30 per cent of our crop just before Christmas and then last month’s hailstorm took another 30 per cent.
“We now have one crop left.”
He said that despite having several politicians visit the area after the pre-Christmas storm, he had heard nothing back from the Federal Government.
“They said that they would see what they could do,” he said.
A government spokesperson said financial help was available and those affected should check the Disaster Assist website.
“A range of assistance has made available by both the Albanese and Andrews governments following the severe weather in Victoria between October and January, including grants and loans to impacted businesses,” the spokesperson said.
Seymour vegetable grower Chloe Fox said despite last year’s flood demolishing their entire vegetable plantings last year, the farm had managed to recover by her replanting later in the season.
“The water level was over my head so we pretty much had to clean-slate everything,” Ms Fox said.
“We have noticed that we have been moving planting times back every year anyway, so this year we did similar.
“I think yields come down to individual circumstances for each grower.
“We have a slightly warmer microclimate here which has a later summer.”
While supply may have been affected, Mrs Bandera said the quality of tomatoes from the Goulburn Valley this year was still very good.
“The tomatoes we had for doing our own passata still made a sauce that was nice and thick,” she said.
SPC was contacted for comment.
Seymour vegetable farmer Chloe Fox with a late planting of her tomato crop. The heavy rain over spring and summer resulted in much later plantings. "We pretty much had to clean-slate everything," she said. Photo: Andy Wilson
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