Cyclone Debbie, which lashed the Queensland coast a week ago, has hit farmers hard in the area around Bowen – a crucial supplier of vegetables to Sydney, Melbourne and much of eastern Australia.
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| Malcolm Turnbull looks at damaged and flooded areas from aboard an Australian Army helicopter after Cyclone Debbie passed through the area near the town of Bowen. |
With the Queensland Farmers’ Federation estimating the damage at more than $100m and winter crop losses at 20%, the event looks set to affect the cost and availability of fresh food for millions of Australians. Growers are reportedly forecasting a price spike in May, when the damaged crops were scheduled to have arrived on shelves.
The incident also raises broader questions about the resilience of Australia’s fresh vegetable supply, much of which comes from a relatively small number of areas that are under pressure from climate and land use change.
Read The Guardian story - “How Cyclone Debbie exposed the perfect storm awaiting Australia's food supply.”
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