Other processors can accommodate growers

A representative for potato growers in the state said Tuesday that other process-ors should be able to pick up the volume of potatoes that would have been handled by the Grandview plant destroyed by fire.

But Dale Lathim, executive director of Othello-based Potato Growers of Washington, said the fire still is a blow to the industry.

"That particular plant is one of the smaller plants in terms of processing volume in the Columbia Basin," he said. But, "Anytime we lose a plant like that it's going to have an impact."

Lathim, whose organi-zation represents growers in bargaining for what process-ors will pay for raw potatoes, said he hopes the firm will rebuild.

"We're very disappointed because it's a relatively new plant. Wild River has been up and coming and growing. This is going to be a setback to them," he said.

The Columbia Basin produces 30 percent to 35 per-cent of the world's french fries.

"So we have a lot of processing capacity," Lathim said. "When one plant like that goes down, there would be others that could find the room in their run schedule and cover those accounts."

Lathim added that he is concerned for the plant employees and the owners.

"That particular plant was really coming into its own and had an excellent staff and crew," he said of the Grandview plant. "We're concerned about the staffing and the whole impact."