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

09.12.2022 1070 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

09.08.2026

Canada - Prairie producers filed more than 4,000 crop insurance claims in stormy July

A stormy July in the Prairie provinces led to insurance claims being filed on more than one million acres of land, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA).

09.08.2026

Government announces free EC$1.5 million crop insurance for Dominican farmers

Farmers in Dominica will receive government-funded crop insurance under a new EC$1.5 million facility aimed at shielding agricultural livelihoods from hurricanes and other climate-related disasters.

09.08.2026

India - Livestock Insurance Scheme Introduced in Maharashtra; Farmers to Get 85% Premium Subsidy

Insurance cover for livestock deaths caused by accidents, natural disasters and diseases; up to 10 animals per family eligible.

09.08.2026

France - Bordeaux's smoke-taint risk: why this summer's wildfires could turn into a slow-burn claim

The vines in Bordeaux mostly survived July's fires untouched. Whether the grapes on them are still worth anything is a different question.

09.08.2026

India - J&K farmers receive Rs 119.67 Cr under crop insurance scheme; Rs 10.15 Cr claims still pending

Farmers in Jammu and Kashmir have received Rs 119.67 crore in crop insurance claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) between 2022-23 and 2025-26, while claims worth Rs 10.15 crore remained pending as of July 24, 2026, according to data furnished by the Union Ministry of  Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in the Rajya Sabha.

09.08.2026

USA - Livestock Insurance Helps Producers Protect High-Value Herds from Catastrophic Losses

As cattle values continue to climb, livestock insurance is becoming an increasingly important risk management tool for producers of all sizes. 

05.08.2026

Canada - Crop development on track in southeast despite weather, gophers

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture says the recent heatwave has led to the rapid development of crops, according to the latest weekly crop report. The heat also contributed to haying progress.

05.08.2026

Spain - The Government launches aid to boost agricultural insurance against climate risks

The Generalitat reinforces the Agricultural Insurance Plan 2026 with almost 29 million and greater subsidies to lower the premiums against climate risks.