We have been getting lots of enquiries from Consumers because our bananas are a little hard to find. We interviewed our Business Manager, Doriana Mangili, with some of the commonly asked questions.
Q: Why are there fewer Carnarvon Bananas on shelves?
A: In February 2024, Carnarvon experienced the hottest day in the world, with temperatures at the town's weather station reaching 49.9 degrees and even higher in our horticultural district. Bananas, like many crops, are very sensitive to extreme temperatures and suffered immediate impacts such as severe sunburn, fruit "boiling" in their skins, and trees and bunches falling over.
Q: How much fruit has been lost?
A: The immediate impact was a reduction of around 40% in production within two weeks. All visibly damaged bunches were cut to the ground, and fruit in the packing shed was graded to remove any bananas that were not up to specification. Since March, following the heatwave, our volumes have roughly halved.
Q: Why am I only seeing shortages now?
A: Summer is a busy time when we usually have an excess of fruit. The heatwave reduced our volumes to our usual year-round levels, so it appeared that there was a normal amount of fruit on shelves. Now, in winter, when our volumes are traditionally lower, we are seeing significant impacts on bunches that emerged around the time of the heatwave or developed shortly after.
Q: What kind of damage are you seeing, and why can’t the bananas be harvested?
A: The issues include bunches that are not developing properly, misshapen bananas, and bunches that are "stuck" in the stem of the plant and unable to emerge. Damage is most apparent on the outside of patches exposed to the sun and wind, with 80%-100% of bunches needing to be cut down in some areas. Inside the patches, where there is more protection, there has been less damage but still a 40%-50% loss of those bunches that emerged from February through to March/April. These bunches will not produce sweet and tasty bananas, and there is no viability of the fruit. We do not want to compromise our quality by harvesting fruit that is not up to specification.
Q: Why are there still some bananas in stores?
A: Damage varies across farms depending on location, age of the patch, and shading from windbreaks. However, all of our growers have been impacted by the heatwave, though some farms have fared better than others. The result is significantly decreased volume forecast for the remainder of July-August and into September. Lower volumes in winter are usual for Carnarvon due to the longer growing cycle (14 months) of our plants and our colder winters. However, in the past two weeks, volumes have reached the lowest levels since Cyclone Olwyn destroyed our farms.
Q: Will the trees recover?
A: Yes! The great news is that we have increased our production area by 20% this year, so we are expecting a bumper season once we begin harvesting fruit from trees that were not as impacted. We have some photos of healthy bunches that are coming along beautifully and will be ready to harvest in the latter part of August or September. Our bananas have a growing cycle of around 14 months, depending on the season. As we move out of the cycle of trees impacted by the heatwave, we will see new, healthy trees coming through.
Q: How does Sweeter Banana mitigate against the weather?
A: Banana growing conditions in Carnarvon are challenging year-round. At the moment, it is winter, and temperatures can drop below 10 degrees some nights, which is outside the comfort zone for bananas. Being on the coast, we get strong sea breezes for most of the year. Growing on the edge of the desert, it is a naturally dry climate (and bananas love humidity), and of course, in summer, we can experience extreme heat. To mitigate against this, we grow our bananas very close together to create a microclimate, which retains humidity, shields from the hottest sun, protects against sea breezes, and insulates against cooler nights. However, 49.9 degrees was more than our mitigation measures could handle. We also acknowledge that these weather challenges contribute to the amazing sweet and creamy taste of our bananas due to our longer growing cycles.
Q: How do the growers and staff manage during this time?
A: We are fortunate that our retail partners are helping us out and paying a little more for our bananas during this time. We have reduced staff and are spreading the work over a number of days, and some of our staff are doing other jobs on other farms during this quiet phase. After a record-breaking summer, some staff are happy to work a little less until volumes increase. We also have our value-adding facility, which is a labor-intensive operation where staff can work to process our seconds bananas if they want to.
Q: Which stores are the bananas in?
A: If you go to the usual place where you buy our Bananas chat to the Fruit and Veg staff/Manager who should be able to advise if the bananas have just sold out or whether they have been taken out of some stores temporarily until we get back on track. If the bananas are have been removed from stores the Fruit and Veg Manager should be able to direct you to a store close by that does have stock.
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