Australians urged to buy truss tomatoes as industry faces oversupply

Shoppers are being urged to buy more truss tomatoes this Christmas with a growers facing a glut.

Transcript

00:00Trust tomato growers say that the oversupply issue has increased in recent weeks and it's

00:07forcing them to sell their produce well below the cost of production.

00:11One grower in Virginia and South Australia says that while no tomatoes are being thrown

00:15away, prices are having to be dropped in order to move some of the volume.

00:20For context, this grower says that normally to grow a tray of Trust tomatoes is around

00:25$10 and they're currently selling for as low as $5.

00:29The glut has been put down to a combination of over-expansion in the industry, a warmer

00:33than usual start to the season and the outbreak of an exotic fruit virus in South Australia,

00:39the brown rugose virus.

00:40There's currently at least three glasshouses in the state grappling with that outbreak

00:45and it's led to both Queensland and Western Australia banning all tomato trade from SA.

00:51Local growers say the cut-off from the Queensland market in particular is having a huge impact

00:56as it would normally take a significant amount of the produce.

01:00NSW and Victoria are still taking tomatoes at this stage but it just means that the plummeting

01:05prices are now being shared there due to those states having more supply than they need.

01:10Growers now say the industry will have to make changes to become more sustainable in

01:14the future which could mean diversifying or even switching from Trust tomatoes to different

01:19crops in the seasons ahead.

01:21In the meantime though, they are just urging shoppers to show their support by buying and

01:26eating more Trust tomatoes this festive season.