Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oma has wreaked havoc on at least two separate banana plantations in the Tweed Valley on the New South Wales north coast. Cudgen banana grower Sarvan Singh said the 80km/h winds claimed 95 per cent of his Cavendish bunches and snapped 90 per cent of his Cavendish plants, with some 25,000 cartons'-worth wiped out all told. Given the current market price of $40 a carton, Mr Singh, who was set to begin cutting next month, is looking at a potential million-dollar loss. This is the second time his crop has been ravaged by heavy wind — two years ago he lost half his crop to ex-Cyclone Debbie. "Debbie [was] probably not as bad as this one, we lost probably 10,000 plants from that one, this one we've lost about 15,000 plants," Mr Singh said. "The wind was just too much. "It blew hard and stopped and blew hard and that's what twisted the plants and broke them. "We had a good year last year and then this happened," he said. "Probably a quarter will be alright, the rest is damaged fruit. Mr Singh produces mostly Cavendish bananas but also has several other varieties. He said Dwarf Lady Fingers had proved to be the most resilient against strong winds and are a variety that sells at a premium. "We might have to divert more to the Dwarf Lady Fingers but the problem is the first year of production is very low," he said. "It's not until your second or third cut that you start producing out of them … but only if they are very clean, without marks."

Future in the wind

With only a fraction of the crop surviving the storm, Mr Singh said the future of his banana growing business was uncertain. At this stage, disaster relief is uncertain until a full assessment of the damage can be completed. The NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), estimates there has been at least $700,000 worth of damage so far, but said the figure may rise. "We are still waiting to hear from banana growers in other areas regarding possible damage," a DPI spokesperson said. "The DPI [is] awaiting reports of damage to macadamias, blueberries and protected horticulture — no damage has been reported so far." Mr Singh said he was unsure how he would move forward but that an injection of capital would be required for production to continue for next year. "They grow back but you've got to put your full money back into that plant for next year," he said.