Stonefruit growers in Australia are facing spiralling costs and a severe lack of water for irrigation as drought takes hold and threatens export volumes.
“There has been a water shortage in the Murray Darling Basin for the last three years, due to below-average rainfall for that period,” said one major grower and exporter in the region. “The last 18 months have been extremely dry, with in-flows being lower than ever before, hence the main storage dams only allowing for a 15 per cent allocation for this season.” As a result, growers are having to spend A$1,000 (£435) or more per megalitre for temporary water for this season. For stonefruit, the water requirement is seven megalitres a hectare. Other options that growers are taking in the field include mulching, soil conditioners and reducing the irrigation per hectare.
“The additional cost will depend on the final allocation of water, but currently the extra cost will be around A$10 per tree for water, which will add 20 per cent to the cost of fruit,” said the exporter. The Murray Darling Basin accounts for more than 80 per cent of Australia’s stonefruit production.
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