The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) has today welcomed the announcement by Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, Federal Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joseph Ludwig and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, of further measures to assist banana growers devastated by Cyclone Yasi.
ABGC President Cameron MacKay said the recovery assistance package will give growers the opportunity to get bananas back on the shelves sooner rather than later.
“Growers are looking to get back to better production levels within the next four months and this will certainly help them to do that,” Mr MacKay said.
The assistance package includes:
1. Special concessional loans of up to $650,000 for eligible businesses, primary producers and not-for-profit organisations suffering extreme damage, with a grant component of up to $50,000;
2. Wage assistance for employers, including primary producers, equivalent to Newstart Allowance for up to 13 weeks to help maintain the viability of businesses and the local community. This period may be extended to 26 weeks depending on the speed of the recovery;
3. A $20 million Rural Resilience Fund, jointly funded by the Federal and Queensland Governments, to be administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority to help fund business and community support activities, such as farm clean-ups, counselling and social support measures;
4. An upfront payment of $50 million to the Queensland Government as an advance on future liabilities under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Assistance (NDRAA).
The Federal Government has also agreed to activate NDRAA Category C clean-up and recovery grants of up to $25,000 for eligible small businesses and primary producers in the local government areas of Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Tablelands, Townsville and Yarrabah.
Mr MacKay explained that there is no crop insurance available for banana plantations, only for farm buildings. The industry is therefore facing a huge financial and personal struggle to return production to its previous levels of more 450,000 cartons per week.
“The Australian Banana Industry has taken a significant battering with the effect of Cyclone Yasi and we now understand that 95 per cent of major production has been affected in the Tully and Innisfail region, 10 per cent on the Atherton Tablelands and a further 100 per cent in the Kennedy area south of Cardwell.
“With industry worth more $450 million, a total of 75 per cent has been affected,” Mr MacKay said.
“The majority of Australian bananas are grown in tropical north Queensland, so this has been a significant disaster for our industry,” he said.
“It is very important for our families, our workers, the local community, our economy and consumers that growers receive the necessary assistance so that crops can be replanted and buildings restored and bananas can get back to normal production levels,” he said.
“Bananas will continue to be Australia’s number one fruit, so we ask that our consumers understand that the interruption of supply is caused by something completely outside growers control,” he said.
Source: Australian Banana Growers Council Inc.