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

09.12.2022 782 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

19.03.2026

USA - Long-Term Farm Borrowing Costs Likely Stay Elevated, Increasing Reliance on Insurance and Subsidy Programs

Farm CPA Paul Neiffer explains the updates to crop insurance subsidies, additional benefits for new farmers, and eligibility considerations for those entering the program.

19.03.2026

India - 48 CSC operators under lens: 27,416 bogus crop insurance claims without crop; 5 FIRs filed in Jalgaon

At least 27,416 crop insurance claims for banana cultivation were found to have been filed on land where no crop existed in Jalgaon district, which is known for banana cultivation.

19.03.2026

USA - Bear, Deer Crop Damage Impacting Farmers in Southside Va.

Deer grazing in crop fields and bears wallowing in rows of corn are creating costly headaches for farmers across Southside Virginia.

19.03.2026

Spain - 15 tonnes of dead shellfish: How Galicia’s 80% crop loss hits seafood prices

Spain has officially removed over 15 tonnes of dead shellfish from the coast of Galicia following a catastrophic 80% die-off that is set to trigger a sharp rise in seafood prices. 

19.03.2026

USA - Idalou farm battles early crop losses as volatile weather threatens the season

The growing season hasn’t officially started, but Idalou Harvest is already counting losses.

19.03.2026

India - Government Pushes Crop Diversification, MSP Procurement and Faster Insurance to Strengthen Farmers’ Incomes

India’s Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has outlined a series of policy measures aimed at strengthening farmers’ incomes and risk protection, including crop diversification, record procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP), reforms in crop insurance, and stricter monitoring of agricultural schemes.

18.03.2026

Nepal - Farmers at a loss for lack of insurance for banana plantation

Farmers in Rautahat are suffering losses due to the lack of insurance for banana cultivation. Farmers here have been affected by natural disasters because there is no insurance for banana farming in various local units of the district.

18.03.2026

CARICOM Chair emphasizes agriculture’s leadership role at launch of regional agricultural insurance in St Kitts and Nevis

On Tuesday, March 17, The Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, Chair of CARICOM and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, emphasized the critical role of agriculture in achieving food security and fostering sustainable development.