Citrus Australia:
AU: Basin Plan fails to support its 2 million people
Citrus Australia CEO Judith Damiani said that over 2.1 million people live and work in the Basin.
"If it was a city it would be Australia’s third largest, below Melbourne and just above Brisbane. This 'city', producing over a third of Australia’s food, is being asked to give up around twenty percent of its water for food and fibre production.
"Low cost international producers and a high dollar are already increasing pressures on Australian producers and food manufacturers - why would our own governments knowingly contribute to this pain?" Judith asked.
The Australian citrus industry is one of the largest fresh fruit industries in Australia with a value of around half a billion dollars.
Nearly all of Australian oranges are produced in the Basin. Oranges are grown for both fresh (domestic and export) and processed markets and support a range of businesses and Australian manufacturers along the value chain including nurseries, packers, transport, exporters, processors, agribusiness suppliers and retailers.
"Many recent socioeconomic studies have identified serious impacts on irrigators and local communities particularly in the Murrumbidgee, Sunraysia and Riverland citrus growing areas.
"We certainly made our views known in our submission to the MDBA and presentation to the Senate inquiry last month" Judith explained.
"We need more support for the Basin 'city' people if this scale of reform is even plausible" she said.
For more information:
Citrus Australia
Tel: +61 03-5023 6333
www.citrusaustralia.com.au
