Banana Feature | Australian Banana Growers

Preparing to manage bunch pests without chlorpyrifos

Tegan Cavallaro, Ingrid Jenkins & Sarah Williams | Queensland Department of Agriculture and FisheriesThe Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has proposed that all uses of products containing chlorpyrifos in bananas be cancelled (except for impregnated bunch covers). Growers should start planning for how…

Here comes the rain, again

In the Far North of the Sunshine State, blue sky has become a rarity.Since December, Australia’s banana growing heartland has been battered by rain, floods and extreme wind. It‘s the wet season and then some. Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused widespread, but varied, damage late last…

Australian Bananas impress on the international stage

Trial shipments highlight opportunities for Australian bananas in niche marketsAlmost all Australian bananas are produced for the domestic market. On average, 62 tonnes per year, or less than 0.1% of production, has been exported since 2019 to markets such as Hong Kong, USA, Singapore, New…

Golden appeal to both TR4 and consumer demand

The Goldfinger mutagenesis project started as a pursuit to find a marketable banana variety resistant to Panama TR4. However, it may also prove a commercial winner by filling a market void and increasing category demand. In a 2011 report, ‘New and alternative banana varieties designed…

Pioneering banana family leaves lasting legacy

Paul Johnston pictured on his Tully Valley farm in 2020. For more than 40 years, the Johnston family has been part of the fabric of the North Queensland banana industry.A legacy born from industry pioneer Mort Johnston, his wife Jill, and carried on by his…

Crops largely spared but recovery continues from NSW floods

Peter (left) and Dan Molenaar By Sonia CampbellGrowers in northern New South Wales and the mid-North coast continue to recover from extreme flooding which caused devastation across communities in March. The catastrophic weather event left a path of destruction, with growers living in and around flood-ravaged…

Challenges facing banana industry

There’s not too much more that can be thrown at Australian banana producers at the moment.Market prices below cost of production, high production rates, ongoing COVID consumer buying challenges, labour shortages, quality issues and now global economic pressures continuing to drive up the cost of…