20 May 2020

Potato price spike blamed on closed shops under lockdown

From Checkpoint, 5:40 pm on 20 May 2020

Potato lovers are being told the closure of independent grocers during lockdown was to blame for a big spike in spud prices last month.

New figures from Stats NZ show potato prices hit an all-time high in April - lifting 18 percent to an average $2.51 per kilogram.

The chief executive of Potatoes New Zealand, Chris Claridge, told rural reporter Maja Burry he was alarmed when he saw the numbers, and did some digging.