BANANA growers fear the Far North Queensland's $380 million a year industry will be wiped out, spelling disaster for the region's market, for regional centres and for more than 200 farmers.
A decision to allow potentially disease-carrying Philippines bananas into Australia has sent shockwaves through the nation's banana-growing hub of Tully and Innisfail, where a $20 million battle was waged over four years to save plantations from banana disease black sigatoka, the Cairns Post reports.
Biosecurity Australia made its announcement on Wednesday.
Its final analysis report says Philippine bananas can be imported if strict risk management measures are met for seven pest groups.
"We don't believe any measures can mitigate the disease risk, especially in the Philippines because of the level of corruption," bitterly-disappointed Tully grower and imports committee head Len Collins said.
