LIMESTONE Coast potato grower Terry Buckley has welcomed news the World Potato Congress will be held in the state’s capital with researchers and industry experts from across the globe to converge on the country in 2023.
Potatoes South Australia successfully led a bid for Adelaide to host the 2023 World Potato Congress, which will attract more than 1000 delegates and generate $4.5m for the state’s economy.
Mr Buckley said the announcement was exciting for the South Australian potato industry.
The state produces more than 500,000 tonnes of potatoes annually and 80pc of the nation’s fresh potatoes.
“We are now Australia’s biggest potato producing state, so it is fitting the conference be held in SA,” he said.
“In previous years it has been all over the world like the US, China and Peru – I definitely think it is time Australia had its turn.
“Although I have not been able to attend the event while it has been overseas, I will make sure to head along to this one.”
Potatoes SA chief executive officer Robbie Davis, who led the bid with a national committee to host the congress, was thrilled by the proposal’s success.
“This congress will see world leaders in the industry congregate in South Australia, the nation’s largest producer by volume and value,” Ms Davis said.
“This event will raise both Australia and South Australia’s international profile as a premium producer of potatoes and enable our industry to exchange knowledge with the world’s leaders in potatoes.
“I’d like to thank the industry and the State Government for the support for the bid.”
With an exciting list of industry leaders expected to attend, Mr Buckley said it was a prime opportunity to get better insights into the sector.
“You are always trying to move your industry forward,” he said.
“Every now and then you get a little piece of the jigsaw that moves your industry along a little bit more.
“You do not want just general knowledge from general people, you want the best available and that is what we will have at the congress.”
The congress will bring potato growers from across the globe to the state, which Mr Buckley believed was another learning opportunity.
“You meet other growers from all around the world and hear about the challenges they face,” he said.
“At the moment, some places around the globe have gone from incredibly dry conditions to torrential rain, either of those are great for growing.
“It helps us think about what we would do in those situations and then we learn how to better address them if and when they happen to us.”
Despite other potato growing regions around the world currently facing adversity, the South East is looking ahead to a positive growing season according to Mr Buckley.
With dry, hot conditions predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology for the rest of the year, Mr Buckley said the season should run smoothly as long as there is minimal wind.
“We can either deal with wind or heat, but not both at the same time,” he said.
“The combination really takes its toll on the potatoes, so we are hoping the weather stays hot but calm over the growing period.
“You obviously need that little bit of rain to make sure there is enough water to fill the table, but we are quite safe here when it comes to that.”
