Agricultural Research and Development director Les Baxter told a Southern Farming Systems forum in Cressy there was broad agreement across poppy companies as to the best way to tackle the problem.

"While the impact is hard to predict, it all depends on the season, we would like to think management will be a lot better this year, than last year," Mr Baxter said.

"All the poppy companies have developed a set of recommendations, or standards, and we have been working together on this particular problem with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture."

Tasmania's poppy industry, worth $400 million, provided almost half the world's supply of opium poppies.

The systemic form of downy mildew caused heavy crop losses in some parts of Tasmania, but did not affect plants in other regions.

Experts said the downy mildew stunted plant growth, yellowed the leaves and had spores that could travel hundreds of kilometres in the air.

Mr Baxter said controlling systemic mildew started before the season began, by ensuring residual materials from the previous crop were removed and rotations of up to five years were enforced.

Seed treatments were being developed to ensure infected material was not planted.

"We do know a lot more than we did last year - it really does depend on climactic conditions, because the plants can have mildew and it can stay dormant," Mr Baxter said. "We are not 100 per cent sure but cool, showery conditions don't seem to be very helpful."

He said this year's poppy planting season was about to get into full swing.

Another Tasmanian poppy processor, TPI Enterprises, raised more than $35 million, when it listed on the share market recently.

Company officials said the money would go towards a new processing plant in Victoria and also pay down debt. TPI Enterprises began processing poppies grown in Tasmania, but has now spread its operations to Victoria and the Northern Territory, as well as Portugal.