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