The strong winds and heavy rain in last week's storm event in northern New South Wales has caused significant damage to banana farms in the Brunswick and Tweed regions.
The Department of Primary Industries' Matt Weinert said it was too early for a full assessment of the damage because some growers still could not get on to their properties.
"But initial reports are suggesting a 20 to 40 per cent crop loss — plants blown over with bags and bunches on," he said.
"We've got one guy at Cudgen who has probably lost 6,000 out of 8,000 plants gone over as well.
A banana grower from the Tweed Valley has lost more than 60 per cent of the crop on his Cudgen farm. Colin Singh said the strong winds had decimated more than 5,000 banana plants out of the 8,000 on that property.
Mr Singh said it would take until at least Christmas before the plants started growing bunches again.
source: abc.net.au
