FINANCES are dwindling for Sunraysia fruit growers who received abysmal water allocations in the 2008-09 season and now face poor fruit prices this year.
Red Cliffs horticulturist Frank Pedulla said banks would be hesitant to put up money for growers after a couple of tough years.
"Contracted grapes are getting $100 to $200 a tonne and red grapes are below the cost of production," Mr Pedulla said.
"It's going to be a difficult year after the last few years of buying water."
Mr Pedulla said most of his neighbours had dried off their irrigation blocks. Some had received the exit grant, but not all.
He said some had sold off their water and were left with "a very big house block", while others had bought houses in Mildura and left their blocks empty.
He said the poor fruit prices were making farming very tough. "I get up in the morning and every time I start the tractor it costs money," he said.
Mr Pedulla said 10 years ago growers were getting up to $1500 a tonne for grapes to be sold in a $10 bottle of wine.
"It's still the same grapes and the bottle is still $10, but we're getting only $100 a tonne," he said.
Red Cliff farmer Bill McClumpha said about 30 per cent of the area's properties had been dried off, but he expected that to increase.
"It's getting towards 40 per cent with extra winegrape properties being dried off," he said. "People are pulling the pin." In Merbein, he said about 50 per cent of properties had been dried off.
"Every time I drive around someone else has gone down," Mr McClumpha said.
"They might not have got the exit package."
