Perfect Summer, Unique Conditions Trigger WA Banana Boom

Carnarvon banana growers are enjoying their best season in over a decade thanks to favorable weather conditions.

Key points:Carnarvon banana growers are enjoying their best season in over of a decadeFavorable weather conditions everywhere last year sparked excellent growthFloods in Queensland created a window of supply for Western Australian growers

The past few months have provided conditions ideal growing conditions with warm temperatures, combined with increased humidity, with yields up 60% from their usual January average.

"It's great, we have our biggest January since 2008, so it's shaping up to be a really good summer season," Doriana, Commercial Manager of Sweeter Bananas Mangili said.

"We had this very good growing time, so the size is a little bigger, the taste is good and we get this beautiful yellow bloom."

This year, Ms. Mangili said that the region ha i have so far avoided damaging heat waves, which can easily ruin fruit.

"Every year there is some kind of event that knocks out about 10 %", she said.

"Whether it's wind, drought, heat waves or cold snaps, there will be something that will create a little disruption.

"I knock on wood, because as soon as you say nothing happened, something will happen."

< img alt="Young banana crops suffered from the heat" class="_8VgO3 eLhlC" sizes="100vw" src="https: //live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/1929168e7963350c2931d9cedceb65f9?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=2001&cropW=3000&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=575" loading="lazy" data-lazy=Image" data-lazy="Image" "true"/>Previous heat waves have hit banana crops hard in Carnarvon. (ABC Rural: Lucie Bell)Local Growers Pick Big Numbers

Chris Collins is one of Carnarvon's largest growers and attributes its vigorous summer to the slightly warmer winter conditions .

When winter temperatures are too cold, trees can experience "strangled diets", a term used by growers to describe leaf crowding at the top of the tree. tree due to slow growth, preventing the bunch from fully emerging.

"There has been little smothering this year. Some years we can have a lot of smothered trees, but this year there was minimal bunch loss due to the cold winter".

"We also had a relatively wet winter, which kept temperatures slightly warmer".

Doriana Mangili says bumper year for Carnarvon growers has been a long time coming.

Flood impact is widespread

Floods across Queensland could also significantly benefit growers in Western Australia, with flooding and supply issues opening up a market for local produce.

"If [Queensland] has packed fruit that is slow to arrive, that could give us a window to supply WA while the Queensland fruit comes through,” Ms Mangili said.

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