Guy Barnett,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
The Hodgman Liberal Government welcomes the announcement that McCain Foods will invest $37 million to upgrade its Smithton potato plant in North West Tasmania.
This multi-million dollar investment is a massive win for the Smithton community, and follows the addition of 17 new permanent jobs at the potato plant bringing its workforce to 95.
A further 60 new jobs will be created during the construction phase, and $15 million will be injected into the Tasmanian economy in local trade and labour contracts.
These upgrades will see the site become the company's primary retail french fry production facility in Australia and New Zealand.
It is also a significant vote of confidence in Tasmanian agribusiness and our comprehensive AgriFood plan to grow the value of our agriculture sector to $10 billion by 2050.
Potatoes are Tasmania's highest value vegetable, worth $111 million at the farm gate and $345 million after processing according to the latest AgriFood Scorecard.
Work is expected to commence in April this year, and be completed by January 2020.
