Oh no, not the bananas!
Cyclone devastates banana crop
From: AAP By Robin Pash
March 20, 2006
CYCLONE Larry has devastated Australia's banana industry, destroying fruit worth $350 million and leaving up to 4000 people out of work.
Australians now face a shortage of bananas and likely price rises after the cyclone tore through the heart of the nation's biggest growing region today.
Queensland produces about 95 per cent of Australia's bananas.
The Australian Banana Growers Council said the storm had wrecked the industry, ruining 200,000 tonnes of fruit.
"The banana crop in north Queensland has been decimated, probably between 90 and 100 per cent of the total crop is on the ground," council president Patrick Leahy said.
"Innisfail and Tully took the brunt of it, a large section of the industry on the tablelands is knocked out and the only section that seems to have come away with less damage is the Kennedy area.
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"That means better than 80 per cent of the total Australian crop is on the ground."
Mr Leahy said with total production estimated to be worth $380 million and $400 million for the year, the cyclone had destroyed as much as $350 million in produce.
It was the worst cyclone damage to crops he had seen in 16 years as a grower and the storm would have a huge and immediate impact on jobs.
"There's going to 3000 or 4000 unemployed within the next week," Mr Leahy said.
"All of our workers are not going to have a job because there's going to be no bananas to pick and pack...
http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,18534072-31037,00.html
I wonder how the Great Barrier Reef will fare. Prayers out for our Aussie Brethren. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,...Oy,Oy,Oy,
Damn, lots of good bananas ruined is terrible.,....now my prices are gonna go up, but I gotta have one every day!