CANBERRA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Australia's peak food and grocery group has warned that prices could be impacted by the nation's bushfire crisis.
Geoffrey Annison, acting chief executive of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), said that raw agriculture, horticulture and viticulture products would be affected.
"This is likely to have implications for supply availability and the price of raw materials for manufacturers," Annison said, according to The Australian report on Tuesday.
"Due to the unpredictable nature of the fires, the supply chain continues to face logistical issues in terms of food, beverage and grocery transportation," said Annison, adding that these effects may be felt longer in some areas.
Annison said the AFGC was working with its members and the government to "ensure supply in fire-affected communities is met and supply chain disruption is mitigated."
Wine Australia confirmed earlier in January that wineries in South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales have suffered "devastating damage."
Up to a third of the wine production capacity of South Australia's Adelaide Hills region was wiped out by fires in December.
Dairy Australia has announced that large dairy companies have agreed to facilitate "cow parking" for farms hit hardest by fires.
"Dairy farms impacted by bushfires may need to temporarily relocate milking cows to an alternative farm where they can continue to be milked," it said in a statement.
"This can be a short-term emergency arrangement or a longer-term business agreement," it said.
