Growers in Australia’s Sunraysia and Riverland regions are counting the costs of a freak storm late last week.
Farms around the regional hub of Mildura were hit by winds in excess of 90km/h on Friday evening, along with heavy rain and hail.
'Theyended up receiving 30mm of rain, and the bulk of that fellwithin 15 minutes,' Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michael Efron told Fairfax Media.
The storm is understood to have caused varying levels of damage to crops such as avocados and table grapes grown south of Mildura, along with stonefruit grown over the boarder in South Australia.
Almond orchards in the direct path of the storm where also hit, with the hail causing crop and foliage to be stripped from trees, while the wind led to some nut fall and limb damage.
The Almond Board of Australia (ABA) said the level of damage is not consistent across the industry, with most orchards having no or minor damage, while a few have been severely impacted. ABA anticipated a slight reduction in next year’s crop volume as a result.
“The spread of industry orchards along 600km of the Murray and also in the Riverina has helped limit overall crop damage” said ABA chair Neale Bennett.
“We are still receiving reports, but it appears the damage will reduce the industry’s 2017 crop by a few percent at most, but given much of the severe damage has been suffered by a small number of growers it is particularly hard on them.”
The first industry forecast for the 2017 almond crop is scheduled for later this month, with estimates before the storm putting production at around 80,000 tonnes.
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