Hail, heavy rain and strong winds in north-west Victoria have destroyed table grapes destined for this year's harvest and buds setting for next year, reports abc.net.au.
CEO of the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA), Jeff Scott, said the damage bill was still being counted but the loss would impact the whole Australian market.
"We are looking at about 2,000 hectares, about 80 growers [and] around about 2 million to 2.5 million boxes," Mr Scott said. "The value could be anywhere between $75 and $100 million [and] we are predicting round about 10 to 15 per cent damage across the national production.
"Look, we've always had supply problems, particularly on the international scene. It just means there's going to be a lot of importers who aren't going to be able to buy a lot of fruit this year.
"Growers need some confidence going forward, so they need some announcement made by the State Government in the very near future so they can actually plan and get on with their redevelopment."
Viticulturist Ken Evans has lost all of this year's grape crop at his Red Cliffs farm and has sustained damage for next year.
Mr Evans said growers would need assistance as they have had crop damage but also infrastructure loss as a result of the storm.
He suggested allowing growers to draw down on their superannuation and said help with water and council rates would be useful, but the assistance needed to ensure growers stayed in the industry.
"The government could definitely help us but I think straight cash handouts would probably be a bad thing," Mr Evans said.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
