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10/03/2020
With most people seeking some form of comfort during COVID-19, there’s possibly never been a better time for a Tim Tam, and there’s no shortage of this tasty treat thanks to Australian wheat growers like the Andreazza family.
All of the family’s wheat crop is used by Arnott’s to make Tim Tams and Scotch Finger biscuits – enough to make around six million packets of Tim Tams every year!
Glen and Julie Andreazza are now ready to start sowing the next wheat crop on their 630-hectare property near Griffith in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and expect to get off to a good start.
Like most years, the couple are planting about 300 hectares of the soft wheat needed by Arnott’s for soft biscuits. It will be ready to harvest in November, so there are plenty more Tim Tams to come in the future.
Once the harvest is over, the wheat is supplied to Allied Pinnacle who produce the flour which is then supplied to Arnott’s for the biscuits.
Glen and Julie said it’s just farming as usual for their business, GJA Farming, despite some challenges around COVID-19.
“There were some concerns that if the trucking business was shut down, we wouldn’t be able to get fertiliser, but we were able to get it on farm,” Glen said.
“Chemicals got a bit scarce because people started panic buying, a bit like the toilet paper people started hoarding.
“On the plus side, fuel is the cheapest it’s ever been because there is an oversupply of crude oil in the world.
“Also, in our business, I am in isolation because I’m in a cabin in a tractor and no-one comes near me.”
While it’s pretty much business as usual, both Glen and Julie pointed out that there was a key lesson to be learnt from COVID-19 to make sure Australia is able to keep growing enough food for everyone in the country.
“Panic buying is unnecessary and hoarding supplies doesn’t work," Glen said.
"But what COVID-19 has really shown us is the importance of being able to produce enough food here and to keep it in the country."
“Covid-19 has given all Australians the opportunity to appreciate the fact that we do live in the lucky country. We also need to focus on making sure that we don’t run out of food in the future and that we are completely capable of growing and supplying for ourselves, with support from governments,” Julie added.
Photo credits: NSW Farmers