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

09.12.2022 892 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

26.05.2026

“Timac Agro Ukraine” launches crop insurance against drought

Timac Agro Ukraine, in collaboration with the insurance company PZU, has launched a crop insurance program against drought for farmers in five regions of Ukraine. 

26.05.2026

Hansen announces "dialogue with the EIB on new agricultural insurance models"

Integrated European framework for climate resilience 'is on the way'.

26.05.2026

Nigeria - Oyo Steps up Enforcement Against Illegal Livestock Trading, Open Grazing

The Oyo State Government has stepped up enforcement against illegal livestock trading and open grazing, arresting offenders and impounding animals in parts of Ibadan during a fresh compliance operation.

26.05.2026

Philippines - Tacloban braces agri, health mitigation measures amid looming super El Niǹo

The City Government of Tacloban has intensified its preparations and mitigation measures as the threat of a possible Super El Niño continues to loom over several parts of the country, bringing concerns over prolonged dry spells, water shortages, and impacts on agriculture and public health.

26.05.2026

India - Punjab Govt Deploys 500 Teams for Special Girdawari as Rains Damage Wheat

In Punjab, to calculate the damage done to the standing crops in the fields due to the inclement weather for the last many days, the state government has formed teams of 500 officials from the agriculture department to assess losses.

26.05.2026

Brazil - Agricultural insurance plummets in Paraná, putting the sector at risk.

Cevio Alberto Mengarda, a soybean and corn producer in Marechal Cândido Rondon, in the western region of Paraná, followed in his father's footsteps in agriculture and today manages the family property. 

25.05.2026

Algeria - CASH Assurances to diversify into agriculture insurance

CASH Assurances will launch agriculture insurance plans in June 2026, as part of its diversification strategy.

25.05.2026

U.S. specialty crop growers push for stronger Farm Bill support

Specialty crop growers in the U.S. are calling for stronger support measures in the 2026 Farm Bill, particularly around risk management, market access, and crop insurance.