Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have both slashed prices on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Bishopsbourne farmer Stewart McGee, a member of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association vegetable council and pea committee chairman, is concerned about the impact the price drop could have in the long term.

Mr McGee and his wife Kerrie have a farm producing peas, beans, poppies, grains and lamb.

His produce is for the frozen market.

Mr McGee said while the price drop might help to move a backlog of fresh produce it would create bigger problems in the long-term such as a reliance on more imports, negative impact on food security and biodiversity with the risk of more disease and pests.

He also said it could put local farmers out of business by taking away their profitability.

For him, in the long term it meant farmers producing for the fresh market could enter the frozen food market.

Mr McGee said he wanted to know how supermarkets could afford to discount their vegetables by so much.

Coles could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The supermarket giant has said that by making fruit and vegetables more affordable it can provide a more certain market for Australian growers.