Mango growers on the Atherton Tablelands have been facing severe challenges due to the catastrophic effects of Ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which occurred in December 2023.
The industry has experienced significant setbacks including millions of dollars in fruit loss, loss of trees, infrastructure damage, and substantially increased costs, necessitating a call for fair disaster recovery support.
Trevor Dunmall, chief executive of the Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) says growers “have endured more than the annual average rainfall in just four days at the onset of harvest season, followed by continued adverse weather throughout the harvest”.
He says the resulting loss of fruit, damage to trees and infrastructure and the additional financial burdens imposed by the 'range levy' have severely impacted growers.
“The Queensland government’s announcement of Category D assistance was initially a relief, but has proven inadequate,” Mr Dunmall says.
“The disparity in recovery funding between the agricultural sector and other industries, notably tourism, has sparked significant concern and mistrust among growers,” he says.
“While we appreciate the government's efforts, the assistance package falls short of addressing the specific needs of our growers and does not cover major costs such as loss of crop and income, which are critical for our growers' survival.”
AMIA industry assistance officer, Ebony Faichney, highlighted the gaps in the current guidelines.
Ms Faichney says the eligibility criteria “do not align with the realities of mango growing”.
She says essential needs, such as soil treatments and outgoing freight costs, “are notably absent from the coverage”.
“The mango industry, which represents a substantial part of the horticultural sector in Far North Queensland, is still awaiting a satisfactory response from the state government regarding the noted disparities in disaster funding,” Ms Faichney added.
“It's crucial that the government revisits and revises the support measures and addresses the failings of the current scheme,” she says.
Mr Dunmall says these issues need to be fixed and backdated so growers currently suffering the most can be assisted now.
“Waiting to address these issues to some future date, if ever, is just not good enough,” he says.
“Our industry's resilience is at stake, along with the mental health of our growers.”
Currently, 60 per cent of mango growers in the region are seeking recovery funding from QRIDA, with a significant amount already invested in the region for essential repairs and recovery efforts.
“I would like to again emphasise we do appreciate the government’s efforts to date, but the inequities in the current scheme compared with other sectors, and the hurdles growers need to go through need to be addressed now,” he insisted.
