Banana growers feeling the pinch

WHILE consumers are enjoying “cheap as chips” banana prices at the moment, local banana growers are suffering.

WHILE consumers are enjoying “cheap as chips” banana prices at the moment, local banana growers are suffering.

The number of cavendish banana growers is scarce, with almost five times less growers now then there were 30 years ago.

Bananas have been unable to return a respectable profit recently with cavendish selling for about $2 per kilo in the major supermarkets and costing about $1.50 per kilo to produce.

Mullumbimby banana grower Peter Molenaar has been in the industry for 30 years and has noticed a disappointing dip in the price of bananas.

“There has been a depressed price in bananas lately because there is too much supply,” he said.

“The last few months the price has been up and down. They need to be a lot dearer than they are to allow growers to have a profitable business. “Anything else is a waste of time. You can't keep growing below the cost of production.”

The Australian Banana Growers' Council member stopped growing cavendish bananas about 10 years ago and started growing lady finger bananas, a move that saved his career.

“I wouldn't be here if I was still growing cavendish,” he said.

“It took me about eight years to change to growing lady fingers but I had to.”

Mr Molenaar sells about 100 cartons of bananas a week this time of year, but that increases to about 400 cartons between September and December.

Originally published as Banana growers feeling the pinch