By Sharl Mintoff1 , Samantha Cullen1 , Chris Kelly1 , Maxine Piggott1 and Jeff Daniells2 1 Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Darwin, NT 2 Queensland Department of Agricultu...
ABGC directors Leon Collins and Andrew Serra visited the Torres Strait Islands in recent months to provide grower perspective on a disease prevention project.
T...
The Panama TR4 Board’s Transition to Industry Working Group recently met with specialists to discuss the legislative framework for industry’s management of Panama TR4. The Panama TR4 Program’s Transit...
Mandatory biosecurity, ongoing education and incentive programs were some of the suggestions given to the Panama TR4 Program’s Management Board by Innisfail growers at a focus group meeting. The Panam...
Australia’s top banana scientists gathered in Brisbane in April to share the latest research helping to protect and improve farming of the nation’s favourite fruit.Over the course of two days, more th...
ABGC welcomes new extension officer Tamaya Peressini to the Best Practice Team. Tamaya (or Tam) grew up in Cairns and is pleased to be back in the Tropics after living in Canberra for the last two yea...
Work is progressing at the New South Wales-based variety trial site in Alstonville, with a slab marking the start of construction of a shed to be used for fruit processing and data collection. The she...
At the time of going to print, the Fair Work Commission’s hearing of the Australian Workers Union application to vary the Horticulture Award regarding piecework rates had almost wrapped up. The NFF an...
In July, four months after Tropical Cyclone Niran, growers were finally able to access disaster relief grants of up to $75,000. The ABGC had previously raised concerns about the delay in opening the a...
The chair of the Australian Banana Growers’ Council has again argued that Best Management Practice is a better approach to improving water quality than reef regulations. Stephen Lowe gave evidence to ...
Stephen Lowe, ABGC Chair Hard times, but industry will bounce back There is a poignant quote by Canadian author and organic farmer Brett Brian, it is: “Farming is a profession of hope”. I, like most o...
Jim Pekin, CEOIt’s been six-and-a-half years since Far North Queensland had its first detection of Panama tropical race 4 (TR4) and, as at 31 July, it had been detected on four other FNQ farms. ABGC’s...
Banana businesses of all sizes have been hard hit by ongoing pandemic-related worker shortages.The situation is constantly changing. Here, four growers share their experience so far.Alarm bells starte...
By Tony Pattison, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Losses and damage caused by plant-parasitic nematodes, like burrowing nematode, are reoccurring problems on many banana farms.
The nematodes f...
By Tony Pattison, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Soils are teaming with life, with up to five tonnes of soil organisms per hectare (e.g. bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and many others...
By Katie Ferro, Jeff Daniells and Ashley Balsom, Queensland DAF The first ratoon crop is now completed in the variety trial at South Johnstone, and the results are encouraging with: • The TBRI Cavendi...
Information in this article is courtesy of Tom Flanagan / NSW Department of Primary Industries In the Australian banana industry, the word Panama is often used to describe one thing: the devastating T...
NSW COPS A DRENCHINGAt the time of going to print, residents, business owners and producers across New South Wales were still taking in the impact of a ‘one-in-100-year’ flood. As average monthly rain...
Stewart Lindsay, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Banana producers in the Innisfail region severely affected by the cyclonic weather on 1 March will need to manage their crop cycling over the n...
Growers in the Cassowary Coast are facing a long road to recovery after suffering catastrophic damage from a recent cyclonic storm. It could take some up to 12 months to return to full production and ...
The Australian Banana Growers’ Council has farewelled Director Jade Buchanan, who has stepped down after more than three years of service to the Board. During that time, Ms Buchanan has been a valued ...
In February this year, Western Australia’s Sweeter Banana Cooperative put out a simple call to action: buy all the local bananas you can. Perfect tropical conditions and a COVID-19 lockdown in Perth (...
While there have been just five commercial banana farms confirmed with Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4) since March 2015, the disease continues to spread in the Tully Valley. The number of plants ...
Stephen Lowe, Chair At the end of 2020, I think most growers had high hopes that 2021 would somehow wave a magic wand and bring with it some positive prosperity, to counteract a year we’d all rather f...
