Western Australia potato growers have welcomed the recommissioning of a vegetable processing plant.
Locally owned fruit and vegetable exporter Manjimup Syndicate Cool Stores-usually known as MAES from the abbreviation of a previous company name-bought the factory from Simplot Australia after it closed the plant two years ago and canceled contracts for 30,000 tons of potatoes.
MAES managing director Don Geare told Australian Broadcasting Corp. the company will initially process 10,000 tons of vegetables.
"Our aim in the next few years is to develop more and more value-added lines which will enable us to retain more profit in Australia either with growers or with ourselves to get longevity in the product," he said. "I think there's significant volumes that can leave Western Australia in a processed form."