Tasmanian farmers plant poppy crop

Drier and warmer conditions have been welcomed in Tasmania as a good start for planting poppies. See how many hectares will be sown.

Poppy growing in Tasmania is set to get off to an ideal start with warmer, drier conditions across the state.

While talk of El Nino grips much of Australia, those in Tasmania are looking forward to planting this year after extensive waterlogging last season.

Poppy Growers Tasmania chief executive Howard Nichol said things looked good for the crop.

Poppies are grown for alkaloid material and contain morphine, thebaine and codeine, for use in pharmaceuticals. Tasmanian production accounts for about half of all international demand.

“We are in the middle of sowing at the moment, and there is more area going in this year compared to last year,” he said.

The island state is set to grow around 4000 hectares of poppies.

A poppy crop in Tasmania.

Mr Nichol said it was also anticipated that the entire crop might be irrigated last year. Last year, all but just a couple of crops were irrigated.

Meanwhile, conditions are also suitable for onions and potatoes in Tasmania.

Chris Badcock runs sheep and grows crops at Hagley in the state’s north and said things were looking good.

“We have had reasonably good winter rain, and it has been a mild winter in terms of temperatures,” he said.

“It is just starting to show signs of drying off now,” he said.

Mr Badcock said the drier conditions fit well with the planting window for sowing Tasmania’s poppies, onions and potatoes crops.

Although with the drier weather, he anticipated farmers would use some irrigation to help with the germination process.

He said pastures looked good for livestock because the conditions hadn’t been overly cold over winter, and there hadn’t been many frosts.

“Pastures are ticking along,” he said.

In terms of the forecast and anticipated drier conditions, he said some fodder stockpiling was occurring.

“We are getting ready for the drier times and have some fodder and silage conserved on farm,” he said.

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association dairy council chairman Geoff Cox farms at Ringarooma in the state’s north east and said the season had been good. But to the south, it was starting to dry off.

He said farmers in the state’s south had been irrigating for some time due to the drier season.

“We are all aware that it could dry very quickly if these forecasts come true,” he said.

In the past couple of weeks, temperatures have been getting to 20C, which was described as warm for this time of the year.