Flooding in the Northern Territory of Australia has disrupted supply chains, affecting food and fuel availability in several communities. Supermarkets in the region have experienced interruptions in deliveries as transport routes were cut off by floodwaters.
Parts of Katherine, located about 300 km southeast of Darwin, remained underwater for several days. The town's only supermarket was closed over the weekend before reopening on Monday after three of five containers of stock arrived by train, including fresh produce, dairy products, and frozen goods.
According to supply chain expert David Leaney from the Australian National University's College of Business and Economics, some products are more resilient to transport disruptions and are likely to return to store shelves more quickly. These include frozen foods such as vegetables and ready meals, as well as locally produced meat and tropical fruit grown around Darwin.
"Produce from colder climates, apples, pears, and potatoes, are coming from a long way away, and they're more likely to be interrupted by transport," Leaney said.
Packaged bread, rolls, and processed meats such as salami may also face supply interruptions.
Supermarket operators reported that deliveries have begun to resume. Woolworths confirmed that supply routes into Darwin were affected over the weekend, but deliveries of dairy and packaged products reached stores, followed by shipments of meat, fruit, and vegetables.
"Pleasingly, supply of dairy and packaged essentials arrived in Darwin stores yesterday, and meat, fresh fruit and vegetables have already started to arrive today," a company spokesperson said.
Coles reported that all seven of its Darwin stores received fresh produce, meat, dairy, grocery items, and bread.
"While customers may notice some temporary gaps on shelves in certain stores due to the recent weather impacts, we want to reassure the community that we are doing everything we can to replenish stock as quickly as possible," a Coles spokesperson said.
Leaney said supply conditions are also affected by consumer purchasing behaviour during shortages.
"There are some items that people are more likely to panic buy, and we also tell people not to, because it always makes the problem worse," he said.
Items with a longer shelf life, such as infant formula and UHT milk, are among those more likely to be stockpiled by consumers.
Supply disruptions in parts of northern and outback Australia may continue for more than a week and could last longer in some areas depending on transport conditions.
Fuel supply has also been affected in some regional communities due to the flooding and rising global oil prices linked to conflict in the Middle East. Diesel prices increased from about US$1.25 per litre (A$1.89) to about US$1.51 per litre (A$2.29) within two days in some locations.
"Diesel is the big issue, because that's what the semi-trailer drivers use, and they're the ones transporting your groceries from point A to point B," Leaney said.
Source: Yahoo! News
