Gascoyne's heavy rains are a washout for winter seasonal tomato growers
Grower Dinh Nyugen is expecting to lose up to 70 per cent of his tomato crops. (ABC Rural: Sophia Alston)
In short:
104.4 millimetres of June rainfall in the Gascoyne has seen growers lose up to 70 per cent of tomato crops.
The value of losses for individual farmers stretches into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What's next?
Markets may have to look to the east coast of Australia to bolster tomato supply.
Dinh Nyugen's 14-hectare tomato farm is a muddy mess, where rainwater collects in huge brown puddles dotted with bruised, splitting fruit.
Heavy, sporadic rains have dumped a total of 104.4 millimetres of water across his farm in June, marking the demise of his crops.
"After the rain [from the past two weeks] we lost more than 70 per cent of our patches," Mr Nyugen said.
Heavy rainfall causes bruising to fruit and potential for fungal infections. (ABC Rural: Sophia Alston)
The ground is sodden and unable to soak up any more moisture, causing flooding throughout his farm.
He said aside from flooding his plants, the mud has made it impossible to set foot in the paddocks and his Roma tomatoes may all have to be scrapped.
"For the next three or four days we cannot work, we have to wait for it to dry up [before we can get back in and pick]," he said.
The main road just outside Dinh Nyugen's house. (ABC Rural: Sophia Alston)
Upon first inspection many of the fruit looks intact, but as it ripens over the next few days Mr Nyugen cannot get in to pick any of it.
Looking across his paddocks he estimated the total loss to be somewhere in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"It makes me feel bad because all the expense we put it there is now gone. Now we need to get back the profit for our expense," he said.
Dinh Nyugen's cherry tomatoes can still be sold at second-grade prices. (ABC Rural: Sophia Alston)
It is not all bad news for Mr Nyugen however, as his cherry tomatoes are still in with a chance — albeit being sold as seconds.
"All the fruit [will] turn red and we get very cheap price for that," he said.
Local constraints won't change supply much
Perth market agent Luke Burgess sees produce day-in day-out through his business Premier Fresh Perth Market.
Although small scale flooding may see a drop in the quality of tomatoes from Carnarvon, Mr Burgess could not see it having much affect at the moment "given demand is low during winter".
More rain may be in store for tomato growers, harming future sales and constraining the amounts packed in the Gascoyne region.
As an agent, his solution may be to look elsewhere in the short term to stock his clients.
"[Buyers will] start looking to other areas like South Australia or Queensland to get fruit because of the damage to Carnarvon's fruit," Mr Burgess said.
The Gascoyne tomato growers while away the rain with a meal. (ABC Rural: Sophia Alston)
The losses are not all misery and woe for tomato growers along the Gascoyne.
Although months of work has been washed-out with the rain, days like these see Mr Nyugen and his fellow growers come together to eat, drink, and discuss hot topics — such as the best recipe for their favourite imported snack, coconut-fed rat.