Australia - Remote cattle stations spared, but banana farm 'devastated' by double Cyclone Nathan hit

20.03.2015 237 views

Cattle stations in far north Queensland may have been spared significant damage from Cyclone Nathan, but at least one commercial banana farm has suffered significant crop losses.

Nathan made landfall as a Category 4 cyclone near Cape Melville this morning, with wind gusts up to 220 kilometres per hour recorded.

The Hope Vale banana farm, located 100 kilometres south of where the cyclone crossed, was hit by the system for a second time in just over a week, resulting in fruit damage.

Manager of the Hope Vale Foundation, Ken Reid, said while the latest crop loss was devastating, it could have been much worse.

"On a whole I'm quite surprised that the farm held up the way it did," he said.

"I guess that's full credit to the guys in preparations leading up to the blow, with de-leafing and stringing and all that sort of stuff.

"We had a few volunteers down there as well from the community, so everyone chipped in.

"But we lost 15 per cent when Nathan hovered off the coast last week, and now it is probably up to 30 per cent by the look of it.

"So quite devastating, but essentially we still have fruit hanging on the trees that's going to be pickable on Monday.

"Hopefully we can still get a little bit of fruit out next week, and fully assess what the total damage is."

Remote cattle stations spared major damage

Glen Sheppard, from Lillyvale Station on Princess Charlotte Bay, told ABC Rural his property had sustained little damage despite being in the direct path of the storm.

"Everything is ok at the moment, there's a bit of a breeze around but nothing too serious," he said.

"We haven't had a lot of rain through the night, maybe five or six millimetres, and it is trying to rain now. But yeah, we expected it to be a lot worse.

"Maybe it's only early days, but yeah, it is pretty tame."

Further south at Kings Plains Station, grazier Daryl Paradise said the cyclone was delivering steady rainfall across his property.

"We've had 25 millimetres since six o'clock this morning, and it is still raining very heavily here now," he said.

"And it looks like it might carry on for a bit longer. I see the rain band on the television with that cyclone, looks like it might supply a bit more rain for us today.

"It started raining at two o'clock this morning, but we had no wind to speak of here.

"We were pretty well prepared, because when Nathan came in before and dropped some rain, we'd already put all the cattle into the high country, and opened up gates here and there, gave them access if they needed to get out.

"If we can get this rain now, it will give us a reasonable season. It will be quite a long way ahead of last year."

Source - http://www.abc.net.au/

12.05.2026

India - Storms damage mango, watermelon, and vegetable crops in Jharkhand

High-velocity winds, heavy rainfall, and hailstorms across Jharkhand in recent days have caused damage to seasonal fruit and vegetable crops, including mangoes, watermelons, tomatoes, coriander, okra, and gourds.

12.05.2026

Canada - AFSC rethinking honey insurance programs offered to Alberta beekeepers

Despite offering coverage for everything from bear attacks to parasitic mites, Alberta’s honey insurance programs continue to see remarkably low participation rates among the province’s beekeepers.

12.05.2026

Myanmar - Bago Region CM attended the loan disbursement ceremony

Bago Region Government held the 2026 monsoon season agricultural input loan disbursement ceremony under the 100-Day Plan on the morning of May 12 at Bago City Hall.

12.05.2026

Rwanda - Subsidised insurance for greenhouse growers launched

Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) on Thursday, May 7, launched a subsidised insurance for greenhouse agriculture to protect farmers against climate shocks, while encouraging investment in commercial agriculture. 

12.05.2026

Bangladesh - Tk7.50b Boro paddy spoilt by rains, flash flood in Sylhet

While the farmers in greater Sylhet are still continuing their high labour-intensive venture to harvest Boro paddy, about 40 per cent of the job is yet to be completed for the extensive inundation of their fields caused by incessant rainfalls and runoff.

12.05.2026

USA - USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in Oklahoma Impacted by Recent Tornadoes

Agricultural operations in Oklahoma have been significantly impacted by recent severe weather and tornadoes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events.

11.05.2026

India - Erratic weather cuts Himachal Pradesh apple crop by up to 70%

Himachal Pradesh may face one of its lowest apple harvests in recent years, with growers reporting crop losses of up to 70% across major producing regions due to prolonged erratic weather.

11.05.2026

Mongolia Could Face Severe Economic Crisis From Overlapping Climate Shocks

A World Bank Group study warns that Mongolia could face a devastating economic crisis if collapsing coal exports, deadly dzud winters, and catastrophic urban floods strike together, potentially shrinking GDP by over 20 percent in three years.