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Dire outlook for tree crops
20 Apr 2007
NSW Irrigators Council chief executive Doug Miell said zero water allocation would destroy the permanent planting sector, including citrus, almonds, stone fruits and olives. "If our irrigators remain on zero allocations for the duration of the water year, then you are talking total devastation of our permanent planting sector," Mr Miell said. Australian Farm Institute executive director Mick Keogh warned that the long-term prospects were "frightening" if rain did not come soon. "If we don't get rain in the spring we are talking about economic meltdown in places like Mildura," he said. Crops that grew annually such as wheat, rice and cotton would recover, but those that relied on trees and vines were facing a dire outlook, Mr Keogh said. "If they start dying, it is not just more cost of lost production. The cost of restarting an operation is horrendous."
The Australian, 20/04/2007
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