Some Food Items Off the Menu as the Rain Ruins Crops

Article by: Hari Yellina

Due to the extremely wet weather across the Tasman, some fruits and vegetables won’t be available to consumers here since importers can’t get their hands on certain items. As weather-related crop destruction continues over the next two weeks, Queensland fruit and vegetable growers are issuing a warning about lower quality and higher pricing. Rural ABC News reports One of Australia’s top producers of fruits and vegetables, Cross Family Farms, was suffering significant losses as a result of the state’s extensive rain. Smaller growers also felt the pressure. Owner of a fruit business in Townsville Luke Glasie told reporters that entire crops of leeks and asparagus had been destroyed.

He claimed that a cold snap in North Queensland had a negative impact on the quality of tomatoes, rock melons, and capsicums. Because the genuine quality isn’t yet present, he continued, “you only have to think of supporting the grower in your brain. Customers should keep in mind that the reduced selection has nothing to do with the employees, according to Glasie. Jerry Prendergast, the CEO of United Fresh, stated that the knock-on consequences of that meant that some foods were off the menu for this season. “It really has knocked product, like beans, courgettes, and the melons out of Queensland, and it’s been nearly hard to buy strawberries at this time of year,” he said.

“A small number of strawberries are being produced in Western Australia, but since this region now supplies the rest of Australia, it is quite challenging to find strawberries for the rest of New Zealand. “Our supply in New Zealand has faced enormous challenges as a result of the recent exceptional rains in Queensland, and consumers in New Zealand typically anticipate a steady supply of beans at this time of year. “Hospitality needs a lot of beans at this time of year, and courgettes are very hard to grow in New Zealand at this time of year, if not impossible, when they are not in season. “For those few things, we truly depend on that Queensland supply,” said the speaker. Prendergast advised those craving beans to try brussel sprouts instead as there were enough of them available.