[即時新聞]171019-Potato shortage causes 'chipocalypse'

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There is a shortage of potatoes in New Zealand. This means there could be a lack of potato chips (crisps in British English) until next year. Potato chip lovers are calling this a "chipocalypse". They joined the words "chip" and "apocalypse" to make this new word. The chipocalypse is because of a very wet winter. This has hit potato farmers. In some areas, a third of the potato crop has been lost. The wet weather has hit the potatoes used to make potato chips. This means companies will make fewer potato chips. It also means prices for potato chips will be higher.

New Zealand potato farmers told a news station about the problem. The Potatoes New Zealand group said: "It started raining in March, and it just simply hasn't stopped. We've had the entire year's worth of rainfall already, so the rainfall is 25 per cent above average….It's continuous, so the soils never get a chance to dry out." The group said potatoes are alive and need to breathe. He added that the potatoes are drowning and rotting because they are under water. A big supermarket chain said: "We are working closely with our suppliers to manage supply as much as possible."