Mr BALDWIN - 1995-05-24
Late last year, the minister announced that land was being made available for expanded banana production at Lambells Lagoon. Can the minister confirm whether any development has occurred on these blocks and whether any plans exist for the release of additional land for horticultural production?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, last year, I did indeed announce that the government would be making land available at Lambells Lagoon for the production of bananas. Since that time, 2 developers have taken up the opportunity of acquiring land there, one being Top Banana from Kununurra
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and the other being the multinational company, Chiquita Bananas. Both those companies paid full market value for the land. Currently, the Territory has about 115 ha of land under bananas and between these 2 proponents, Chiquita and Top Banana, we will see a further approximately 300 ha in banana production. In the scheme of things, that may not seem a great deal, but it should be understood that the value of the product and the intense nature of the industry will result, in relation to those 2 companies alone, in at least another 200 full-time, permanent jobs. That amounts to a major expansion in the horticultural production of the Territory and will lead, over time, to about a 50% increase in the total value of production.
In recent times, it has become more apparent that the area around Darwin is eminently suited to the production of bananas. Indeed, it has been put to me that it is at least on a par with Honduras in terms of conditions for the production of bananas. Indeed, our area has a number of specific advantages. Firstly, our climate is such that the plantations can remain in production all year because we do not experience the cold snaps to which other areas are subject. Secondly, and most importantly, the Darwin area is totally free of the major pests affecting bananas. We have neither bunchy top nor black sigatoka, which seriously affect the industry interstate. With that in mind, Chiquita Bananas is negotiating major contracts with Japan in terms of organically-grown bananas. That is a market we can meet, and meet well.
In addition to the land released already, a further 100 ha is available at Lambells Lagoon that is suitable for banana production. That will be coming on stream this year with a further injection of about $450 000. A further several hundred hectares will be able to be put to other tree crops, such as mangoes and citrus.
Whilst I am on my feet, let me say that we should not neglect the horticultural potential of other areas of the Northern Territory. With that in view, this year the government will be releasing 6 blocks of land in the Venn subdivision near Katherine. We will be supporting the expansion of horticulture in Tennant Creek with a view to experimenting with and developing the cut flower trade. We are investigating the potential of areas around Alice Springs in terms of date production. It came as a great surprise to me that, whilst bananas require 25 ML of water per hectare per year, dates require in excess of 25 ML of water per hectare per year. We will be constrained only by the availability of groundwater in Alice Springs. Hydrogeology being the imprecise science that it is, it is very difficult to open up large blocks of land without mining our water resource. We have to be mindful to maintain the resource and use it at a sustainable level. Otherwise, we will have very short-term industries that cannot be sustained and will fail eventually.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, last year, I did indeed announce that the government would be making land available at Lambells Lagoon for the production of bananas. Since that time, 2 developers have taken up the opportunity of acquiring land there, one being Top Banana from Kununurra
Page 591
and the other being the multinational company, Chiquita Bananas. Both those companies paid full market value for the land. Currently, the Territory has about 115 ha of land under bananas and between these 2 proponents, Chiquita and Top Banana, we will see a further approximately 300 ha in banana production. In the scheme of things, that may not seem a great deal, but it should be understood that the value of the product and the intense nature of the industry will result, in relation to those 2 companies alone, in at least another 200 full-time, permanent jobs. That amounts to a major expansion in the horticultural production of the Territory and will lead, over time, to about a 50% increase in the total value of production.
In recent times, it has become more apparent that the area around Darwin is eminently suited to the production of bananas. Indeed, it has been put to me that it is at least on a par with Honduras in terms of conditions for the production of bananas. Indeed, our area has a number of specific advantages. Firstly, our climate is such that the plantations can remain in production all year because we do not experience the cold snaps to which other areas are subject. Secondly, and most importantly, the Darwin area is totally free of the major pests affecting bananas. We have neither bunchy top nor black sigatoka, which seriously affect the industry interstate. With that in mind, Chiquita Bananas is negotiating major contracts with Japan in terms of organically-grown bananas. That is a market we can meet, and meet well.
In addition to the land released already, a further 100 ha is available at Lambells Lagoon that is suitable for banana production. That will be coming on stream this year with a further injection of about $450 000. A further several hundred hectares will be able to be put to other tree crops, such as mangoes and citrus.
Whilst I am on my feet, let me say that we should not neglect the horticultural potential of other areas of the Northern Territory. With that in view, this year the government will be releasing 6 blocks of land in the Venn subdivision near Katherine. We will be supporting the expansion of horticulture in Tennant Creek with a view to experimenting with and developing the cut flower trade. We are investigating the potential of areas around Alice Springs in terms of date production. It came as a great surprise to me that, whilst bananas require 25 ML of water per hectare per year, dates require in excess of 25 ML of water per hectare per year. We will be constrained only by the availability of groundwater in Alice Springs. Hydrogeology being the imprecise science that it is, it is very difficult to open up large blocks of land without mining our water resource. We have to be mindful to maintain the resource and use it at a sustainable level. Otherwise, we will have very short-term industries that cannot be sustained and will fail eventually.
Page 592
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016