INNISFAIL, Australia (AP):
PLANTATION OWNER Kerry Alcock roamed his fields, machete in hand, seeking to salvage what he could of his banana crop. When he finds a heavy bunch still fit to sell amid the tangle of debris covering his plantation, the 58-year-old lugs it out on his back - a method he hasn't used since his youth.
In the lush agricultural region of northern Queensland state, the farmers who produce most of Australia's bananas were among those who lost their livelihoods to Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 storm with winds reaching 180 mph.
KINDLED FEARS
The damage has sent banana prices skyrocketing 2 1/2 times and kindled fears that markets could be open to imported fruit, a development that also has the potential of letting in foreign diseases that could decimate the local industry.
Prime Minister John Howard sought to reassure banana growers during a visit to the region yesterday that included a stop on Alcock's farm just north of Innisfail, the city hardest hit by Monday's cyclone.
Trudging together through the mud left by the tropical rains that continue to douse the area, the farmers pleaded with Howard for assistance to meet mortgage payments and to ensure the labourers who harvest the crops don't leave for other work.
Howard, on his tour of the damaged zone, announced a multimillion dollar package of low-interest loans and tax-free grants for farmers and other businesses.
"We haven't seen anybody out here yet," said Jay Hutchison, close to tears as she looked out across a sugar cane field littered with the wreckage of the Hotel Castor she and her husband bought three years ago. "They have in Innisfail, but we haven't. There doesn't seem to be anybody coming to give us a hand, and we need it as much as they do."
Back on Alcock's banana plantation, the elder Alcock and a couple of workers rummaged through a sea of decapitated trunks to find bunches with bananas that had grown enough to be sold at market extra effort that normally would not be worth it except for soaring banana prices.
A normal 29-pound carton that once went for US$23 at most is now fetching an unheard of US$57.50.
