Mr KNIGHT - 2007-10-17
There have been recent reports of the ongoing impacts of Panama disease in the Territory’s banana industry. Can you update the House on the impact that the disease is having and how we are combating it?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. Further to the question I received from the member for Nelson last week, it is important to address some of the issues and concerns that the growers have which has been expressed through the media over the last couple of days.
As I said last week, the disease has had a crippling effect on the banana industry in the Northern Territory. It is a soil-borne disease. It contaminates through soil transfer, water transfer or plant to plant transfer. It was detected in the Northern Territory at Berry Springs in 1997. Despite the nationally agreed quarantine controls, the disease has spread. It is only expressed through bananas, thankfully. We are not sure whether the disease was actually in the Northern Territory before bananas were grown. That is a bit of an unknown at this stage. No other banana producing area in Australia has been affected and quarantine authorities are working very closely with the Northern Territory to ensure that does not happen.
Three commercial properties are still free of the disease. However, all the other properties have been quarantined, which is quite disappointing. Part of the national cost sharing arrangements, which ended some years ago, have been that eradication is not feasible so some of Australia’s foremost experts in the area of the disease got together and worked with industry to determine the best option. They decided to undertake research, to screen and identify potential resistant varieties.
It was a six year project which commenced in 2001. A quarantine facility was constructed at the Coastal Plains Horticultural Research Farm. There were two areas designated on the property. One was deliberately infested with the Panama disease, and the other was a small control site which was disease-free. Despite the stringent controls that were set up at the farm, the smaller area did become infected, unfortunately. Even though we had protocols and infrastructure in place, like fences and bund walls, the disease did transfer into the smaller area, which is now infected.
Over the six year period, 34 varieties of banana and plantain varieties were screened. They have found that three have potential for commercial use. However, the three that have been identified are very difficult to grow up here and it is unlikely that they will be adopted by local growers. These resistant varieties will, however, be used for future breeding programs. $1.8m has been spent on research over that time, and that has been supported by local growers, the Queensland industry, the Northern Territory and Australian governments and, of the $1.8m, the Northern Territory contributed $1.2m.
It is frustrating for growers. I understand that. Despite the quarantine arrangements that have been put in place over the six years, a commercial replacement has not yet been found. I can assure them that the department is continuing discussions with banana growers of Australia to see what can be done, to see what varieties can be tested and that research will continue.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. Further to the question I received from the member for Nelson last week, it is important to address some of the issues and concerns that the growers have which has been expressed through the media over the last couple of days.
As I said last week, the disease has had a crippling effect on the banana industry in the Northern Territory. It is a soil-borne disease. It contaminates through soil transfer, water transfer or plant to plant transfer. It was detected in the Northern Territory at Berry Springs in 1997. Despite the nationally agreed quarantine controls, the disease has spread. It is only expressed through bananas, thankfully. We are not sure whether the disease was actually in the Northern Territory before bananas were grown. That is a bit of an unknown at this stage. No other banana producing area in Australia has been affected and quarantine authorities are working very closely with the Northern Territory to ensure that does not happen.
Three commercial properties are still free of the disease. However, all the other properties have been quarantined, which is quite disappointing. Part of the national cost sharing arrangements, which ended some years ago, have been that eradication is not feasible so some of Australia’s foremost experts in the area of the disease got together and worked with industry to determine the best option. They decided to undertake research, to screen and identify potential resistant varieties.
It was a six year project which commenced in 2001. A quarantine facility was constructed at the Coastal Plains Horticultural Research Farm. There were two areas designated on the property. One was deliberately infested with the Panama disease, and the other was a small control site which was disease-free. Despite the stringent controls that were set up at the farm, the smaller area did become infected, unfortunately. Even though we had protocols and infrastructure in place, like fences and bund walls, the disease did transfer into the smaller area, which is now infected.
Over the six year period, 34 varieties of banana and plantain varieties were screened. They have found that three have potential for commercial use. However, the three that have been identified are very difficult to grow up here and it is unlikely that they will be adopted by local growers. These resistant varieties will, however, be used for future breeding programs. $1.8m has been spent on research over that time, and that has been supported by local growers, the Queensland industry, the Northern Territory and Australian governments and, of the $1.8m, the Northern Territory contributed $1.2m.
It is frustrating for growers. I understand that. Despite the quarantine arrangements that have been put in place over the six years, a commercial replacement has not yet been found. I can assure them that the department is continuing discussions with banana growers of Australia to see what can be done, to see what varieties can be tested and that research will continue.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016