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

09.12.2022 996 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

08.07.2026

EU’s livestock strategy aims to tackle animal welfare, finance, disease challenges

The European Commission has adopted its first EU Livestock Strategy alongside a Protein Action Plan, setting out measures it says will help the livestock sector deal with economic pressures, animal disease risks, environmental requirements and shifting markets.

08.07.2026

Sri Lanka - Rs. 12 billion in crop damage compensation paid to over 200,000 farmers

The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has announced that crop damage compensation totaling Rs. 12,341.5 million has been paid to 202,025 farmers affected by last year’s Cyclone Ditwah.

08.07.2026

USA - USDA Introduces More Crop Insurance Options for Forage Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding coverage options to add revenue protection for forage producers in 12 states, part of the Department’s efforts to put Farmers First through improved crop insurance.

08.07.2026

Canada - Severe damage reported following weekend storm

A powerful storm that moved through southwest Saskatchewan Sunday night brought heavy rain, strong winds and hail, leaving a trail of crop and property damage in the Swift Current area.

08.07.2026

India - Rain deficit leaves TN’s Vadamalli farmers staring at heavy losses ahead of Onam

A prolonged dry spell and the failure of seasonal rains have left Vadamalli farmers in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district struggling to save their crop, with large stretches of flowering plants beginning to wither across Thondamuthur Block.

08.07.2026

Kenya - Fear of crop failure, auction discourages farmers from taking loans- survey

Increasing interest rates and the fears of crop failure and being auctioned are top factors that have reduced the number of farmers taking up loans for agricultural purposes.

07.07.2026

Ukraine - Cold spring delayed soybean development and increased harvest loss risk

The cold spring and low temperatures at the beginning of sowing had a negative impact on the development of soybeans in Ukraine. 

07.07.2026

Severe storms drench China, leading to deaths and crop damage

China’s central and southern regions have been lashed by heavy rain that’s led to deaths and crop damage, with more extreme weather expected later this week from a strong typhoon heading toward the country’s east.