Month: April 2018

By Amy Spear With high-rise visible above the banana leaves and longhorn cattle grazing nearby, Colin Singh admits he’s got banana sap in his veins. The unusual, almost suburban patch of bananas is one of two he currently manages in far northern New South Wales. A fourth generation grower, Colin…

The name Lachie Rick will be familiar to many in the banana industry, as a former grower, long-time director and ABGC chairman. He invited Amy Spear to his Mission Beach home to share some of his memories.  More than six decades ago, Lachie Rick’s father told him it…

By Elisa King, Hort Innovation Marketing Manager  After a strong start to the year, the Australian Bananas marketing campaign is set to go from strength to strength for the second half. Research results remain positive, with advertising recall increasing and bananas maintaining their position as the number…

Many Australian banana growers work hard to protect the environment year in, year out—after all, it’s their home as well as their livelihood.  But with 2018 declared the International Year of the Reef, what better chance to recognise the Far North Queensland banana growers striving to preserve the natural icon…

By Monica Haynes, Terrain The Wet Tropics isn’t called the Wet Topics for nothing, but heavy rain didn’t stop more than 100 people ’walking’ local landscapes recently to better understand how water catchment systems work. The Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project (MIP) has organised a number of ‘Walking the Landscape’ workshops,…

The Australian Banana Growers’ Council has rolled out the first of a series of sediment management workshops aimed at helping north Queensland banana growers improve their on-farm sediment practices. The first was held at the South Johnstone Research Station on March 16 and attracted an enthusiastic group of growers. The ABGC…

The Gold Coast sure knows how to host a premier event. This year, the Commonwealth Games. Next year? The Australian Banana Industry Congress! Royal Pines Resort has been selected as the venue to host our next biennial Congress, from May 22 to 24, 2019. The site will effectively…