'We can't get any': Canberra takeaway shops battle potato scallop shortage

A wet spring, including severe storms and floods, resulted in crop damage and harvesting delays on potato farms throughout Australia. 

And an unlikely result of the harsh conditions has meant Canberra is currently experiencing potato scallop shortage. And it's proving to be quite an annoyonce for takeaway shop owners throughout the capital.

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"Probably a lot of them have given up," Watson Takeaway owner Kerry Spanos sighed.

"A lot of the shops are buying them frozen now. The prices have gone through the roof."

Bidfood, which supplies 80 per cent of takeaway shops in Canberra, has been without potato scallops for about two months.

Sales manager Nick Moullakis explained a good quality potato scallop required a large potato - a rare commodity. 

"They slice the potato, then they batter it, then they blanche it, then when the customer comes in they re-fry it - that's it," he said.

"The mashed one is like the McCains product which is popular in places like food courts. They had their time in the '80s and '90s and it's not very popular."

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The Corner Takeaway in Queanbeyan has been without potato scallops since October. Owner Steve Salmon believes his chips have shrunk since the floods, too.

"We can't get any potato scallops whatsoever," he said.

"We've been to all of them mate - every supplier in Canberra that supplies takeaway shops and none of them's got scallops.

"I used to sell 1000 scallops a week and I'm not picking up $1000 elsewhere."

Karabar Takeaway, also in Queanbeyan, has had more luck, but has had to jump between different providers to ensure a steady supply.

And although they're more expensive, the potato scallops coming in seem smaller, meaning the shop has sometimes given customers an extra to make up for the shortfall.

"We've managed to go only a couple of days without any coming in," co-owner Alexandra Karofillis said.

"There's a demand for it - people love their potato scallops. They've got to be a good quality potato with batter that's not too thick and cooked fairly well."

But there's good news among the tragedy. AUSVEG, which represents potato growers, said farmers had a positive outlook for the months ahead.

South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales were particularly affected, but growers in Western Australia and Queensland were able to reduce the strain on supply, senior communications officer Dimi Kyriakou said.

"The latest potato growing season is going well and it is expected that supply will soon pick up again, as long as no major weather events occur before harvest," she said.