Fries are down, down: Coles imposes frozen fries limit amid potato shortage

Coles has placed limits on the sale of frozen potato chips due to a nationwide supply shortage.

Customers will be temporarily limited to two items.

"This will help maintain availability for all customers," the supermarket said in a statement on Friday.

< p class="dcr-18sg7f2" >"Thank you for your patience, we apologize for the inconvenience."

Sign up for the free morning and afternoon newsletters of Guardian Australia for your daily roundup

Potato farmer Rod Guthrie, of Clarkes Hill in central Victoria, said the wet summers had taken their toll.

"It all started in January, when we had the floods, it destroyed many potato crops and the tonnage dropped sharply for this year," he told 3AW radio.< /p>

"It's been an extremely tough year, tonnages have gone down and the winter has been cold and wet too, which doesn't help. .pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement" class="dcr-10khgmf"/>

Guthrie said potato growers in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland produced about half from their usual harvests.

He warned that shortages could impact cafes and restaurants as well as supermarkets.

"The supply is not there, it will not be on the shelves and in restaurants and I would say that by January there will be no supply around, barely.

< p class="dcr-18sg7f2">"Crops are down and we're back to about half the usual tonnage."

Woolworths has not imposed any limit on product.