The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) is celebrating National Banana Day today, shining a spotlight on one of the nation’s most-loved fruits – and one of its quiet economic powerhouses.
Every single day, Australians eat 5 million bananas, and every one of them is proudly grown right here on Australian farms. There are no imported bananas on Australian shelves – just the hard work, passion and care of 540 family banana farms across the country.
Together, these growers contribute a massive $1.3 billion to the national food bowl and support 18,000 regional jobs. From Tully to Mareeba, Coffs Harbour to Carnarvon, bananas are the lifeblood of many regional communities.
“Bananas are Australia’s favourite fruit, and they’re grown with love by hardworking Aussie families,” said Leanne Erakovic, CEO of ABGC. “National Banana Day is a celebration of our growers, our industry and the millions of Australians who choose to buy local every day.”
Despite its strength, Australia’s banana industry is facing an uncertain future.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is currently reviewing quarantine measures that could allow bananas to be imported from the Philippines. The ABGC warns that any move to open Australia’s borders to imports would bring significant biosecurity risks, including devastating banana crop diseases that do not currently exist in Australia.
“Once these diseases arrive, you can’t send them back,” Ms Erakovic said. “We’ve spent decades keeping our farms safe and free of major exotic diseases. The arrival of a new disease from offshore would be devastating — not just for growers, but for the regional communities and thousands of Australian workers who rely on the banana industry.”
On National Banana Day, the ABGC is encouraging Australians to celebrate the fruit that fuels our mornings, school lunches and smoothie bowls — while remembering the farmers who make it all possible.
“Buying a banana is an act of supporting Australian families,” Ms Erakovic said, “let’s keep it that way. Keep it Aussie. Keep it local. Keep it risk free.”