Australia - Murray River flooding persists with grape, citrus growers facing uncertainty over harvest

09.12.2022 1166 views

Three quarters of Roberto Fuoco's table grape property in north-west Victoria is underwater and more rain is expected in the coming days.

The harvest at his Nichols Point property would usually begin in February, but at this stage it's unclear if any of his fruit could be picked. 

The situation was probably not helped by the fact the only way he could get around his vines was via canoe.  

Mr Fuoco expected crop losses and redevelopment costs on his property to add up to millions of dollars. 

The Australian Table Grape Association's industry development manager Jenny Treeby said hundreds of hectares of crop was under threat.

"There are two different types of growers, ones that have built levees, they are going to be worrying for a long time about whether they'll break or not," Ms Treeby said

"Then there's a smaller number of growers that are fully inundated."

Ms Treeby said it was unclear what kind of impact the flooding would have on vine health and grape production.

"Most of the science we can access has only been for vines that have been inundated for up to six weeks, this will be much longer," she said.

Thousands of hectares impacted

The latest figures from Agriculture Victoria shows more than 498,629 hectares of farmland had been flood affected.

There's been 15,662 livestock deaths reported and almost 12,000 kilometres of damaged fencing.

Rural Financial Counsellors are helping flood-affected farmers apply for grants, loans and subsidies.

Further downstream in New South Wales, flooding was also affecting John Waters's eight hectares of citrus.

"I can't even do anything on the property because there's water through everything. If there's disease control or anything it can't be done unless you bring in an aerial sprayer," he said.

The flood peak has been revised several times and was now not expected to arrive until later this month.

That means Mr Waters would need to continue accessing his property by boat for several weeks.

"When the floods come up here, they stay around for a long time, so it will be months before I can get back in the orchard again," Mr Waters said.

Authorities predict the Murray River at Mildura will peak between December 15 and 17.

Source - https://www.abc.net.au

22.09.2026

USA - USDA opens 2026 ARC and PLC enrollment after historic base-acre expansion

Agricultural producers can now begin making elections and enrolling in two key federal farm safety-net programs following the largest expansion of base acres in two decades.

22.09.2026

Pakistan lacks financial instruments to insure flood risks

A columnist in The Express Tribune argues that in Pakistan, the risks of recurring monsoon floods are insufficiently accounted for in insurance, bank lending and real estate valuation. 

22.09.2026

USA - Oklahoma Cotton Crop Deteriorates Under Drought and Extreme Heat

Drought and extreme heat are hurting Oklahoma cotton, with 55% of the crop rated in the worst condition category.

22.09.2026

USA - Fresno State farm sees major pistachio losses after March heat

Fresno State's pistachio crop suffered significant losses this year, reflecting challenges growers experienced across the San Joaquin Valley after extreme March heat affected pollination.

22.09.2026

Spain - Asturias will launch urgent aid for the drought and will increase support for agricultural insurance by 80%.

Asturias will approve urgent aid for the drought, will strengthen agricultural insurance, and will advance payments of the CAP to support the rural environment.

22.09.2026

Japan identifies 21 pest risks in U.S. fresh potato import review

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has identified 21 pest species that pose an invasion risk from U.S. fresh potato imports as it considers a U.S. request to lift existing restrictions.

20.09.2026

Guyana - First crop-insurance payouts reach 2,068 rice farmers

More than 2,000 rice farmers received nearly US$128,000 in crop-insurance claims during the first half of 2026 after above-normal rainfall affected production during the first crop.

20.09.2026

USA - Michigan launches project with crop insurance companies to reward regenerative farming

Michigan is launching what officials said is the nation's first public-private crop insurance program for regenerative farming.