THE NORTH-WEST poppy harvest is expected to be delayed until next month.
Tasmanian Alkaloids field operations manager Rick Rockliff said while there could be an odd paddock ready for harvest this month the bulk of the crop was not going to be ready until next.
"The reason is because of the late sowing and the very wet conditions in the spring," Mr Rockliff said.
Across the state, Tasmanian Alkaloids this season has nearly 500 poppy growers.
The 200 of those based on the North-West have around 3000 hectares of the crop just weeks away from harvest.
"Because of such a wet spring some crops were re-sown but this is not out of the ordinary," he said.
Mr Rockliff said the Tasmanian Alkaloids Westbury processing facility would not be impacted by the late season.
"We've got enough crop coming in from other parts of the state to keep our facility fully operational," he said.
Looking ahead Mr Rockliff said the Coast's poppy growers were hoping for a dry and warm six weeks.
"Most of the early crops have suffered from a too wet spring," Mr Rockliff said.
"It was the wettest spring on record which could impact on yields.
"You certainly don't want wet weather because some alkaloids wash out of the capsules which is no good for farmers or the factory."
Mr Rockliff estimates that the busiest time for harvesting poppies on the North-West will be in mid to late February.
"We have a fleet of big capacity harvesters some which are capable of around 40ha a day each," he said.
Mr Rockliff described this as a difficult season for poppy growers.
"I think everyone will be pleased when we put this one to bed and start off fresh next spring," he said.
"Having said that, there are some very good crops out there but the tail of poorer crops will be a lot bigger this year because of the bad season."Mr Rockliff said he anticipated that there would be adequate material to fulfil every contract and keep Tasmanian Alkaloid's customers happy.
Source - http://www.theadvocate.com.au/
Australia - NW poppy growers in limboThe north-west poppy harvest is expected to be delayed until next month. Tasmanian Alkaloids farmers said while there could be an odd paddock ready for harvest this month the bulk of the crop was not going to be ready until next. The reason is because of the late sowing and the very wet conditions in the spring. Across the state, Tasmanian Alkaloids this season has nearly 500 poppy growers. The 200 of those based on the North-West have around 3000 hectares of the crop just weeks away from harvest.
