Adelaide plays host and showcases the excellence of the Australian potato sector
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
The reason for the “Old World Meets New” theme of the 12th World Potato Congress (WPC), June 23-26, 2024, in Adelaide, South Australia, was evident from the start during a welcoming reception held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
After opening remarks by WPC Secretary and Convenor Nigel Crump, and Sonia Waterson, executive officer of Potatoes Australia Ltd., as well as the welcoming of delegates and thanking of sponsors, Crump introduced Australian aboriginal descendant Robert Taylor.
Taylor entertained the receptive crowd by playing one of the world’s oldest woodwind instruments, the didgeridoo.
“We hope you feel the blessings of our ancestors while you’re here,” Taylor said in between projecting haunting sounds from the didgeridoo, which traces its roots to Australia’s Northern Territory. “With the didgeridoo, we can mimic sounds of the brush, our animals, and 250 native languages.”
Of course, “Old World Meets New” also refers to the evolution of traditional farming into today’s modern potato production. In 2022-’23, South Australian potato production included 80 farm businesses, 545,000 tonnes of potatoes, equating to an AU$245 million farmgate value, and exports of 19,500 tonnes.
Australia’s largest export markets are South Korea and the Philippines, and South Australia is the largest producer of fresh, washed potatoes in the country, with 80 percent of the market share.
