Author: Amy Spear

The Australian banana industry’s search for new varieties resistant to diseases such as Panama tropical race 4 (TR4) and Panama disease race 1 is looking brighter than ever, thanks to major inroads being made by a national plant protection project. Most recently, the project has managed…

Planning is in full swing for the next Australian Banana Industry Congress (ABIC) to be held in Tropical Far North Queensland from May 12-14, 2021.The ABIC Management Committee is closely monitoring the unfolding impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, however the committee remains hopeful of being…

Carnarvon banana grower and former ABGC director Tom Day in his plantation the morning after ex-tropical Cyclone Mangga. By Lea Coghlan  Carnarvon banana growers suffered an estimated 30 per cent production loss across the growing region as a result of ex-tropical cyclone Mangga which wreaked…

Welcome to the Australian Bananas 2020 end of financial year marketing update. This activity is managed by Hort Innovation on behalf of the industry and is funded by the banana marketing levy. By Tate Connolly, Hort Innovation Marketing Manager We’ve closed out year two of three for our…

The curtain has closed on the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) long history of banana research at the Duranbah trial site in northern NSW.  The final trials at the site were completed in April this year. The work at the Duranbah site was part…

– Stephen LoweCOVID-19 Last magazine the COVID-19 pandemic was just taking hold globally – and four months later there still remains a great deal of uncertainty, both here on home soil and internationally. For our industry, the pandemic has presented some distinct supply and demand challenges, which…

– Jim PekinSurveillance strategy review The new Panama TR4 Program Management Board was due to meet for the second time on July 15, but had to post-pone, due to unforeseen circumstances. The Board – which will oversee the continued delivery and governance of the Panama TR4 Program…