Banana prices:
I have sent this letter to the editor of three papers, none of them would publish it.
Is it offensive or are the banana growers a protected species?

Dear Sir/Madam.
Once Paul Keating mentioned that Australia may become a “Banana Republic”, yet many years later, the average Australian cannot afford to buy bananas.
How much longer is the Australian public going to put up with this exorbitant prices for bananas, while the government will not allow any bananas to be imported to ease the shortage?
Australia imports cherries from the USA, grapes from other countries, what is so special about bananas?
As the floods and the cyclone yasi apparently destroyed 75% of the crop, there is still 25% of the crop left and as the price has more than quadrupled, the banana industry must be collecting the same rewards for the 25% of the crop as it was for the total harvest when the price was in the $3-4 range, that is if the rich are prepared to pay $13 plus for a kilo of bananas.
When I recently commented on the Banana Growers website and pointed this out, I received a nasty reply from them, telling me, if I would like to eat diseased bananas, I asked if the Americans and Europeans all eat diseased bananas, I received no reply.
By the way, in those countries the banana price is around $2-3.
When is the Australian public going to wake up and resent being treated like a bunch of sheep?
Yours truly

Reply to my comment on the banana growers website:

The only reason why prices have gone up is the retail chains eg. Coles and Woolworths are finally buying the bananas from the growers at a reasonable price.  They have changed their ways since the Cyclone.  The prices can’t be blamed on the growers, the supermarkets have always used bananas as a “door special” to pull in the customers.   We’ve spent years trying to change this.



The government won’t allow the imported bananas because they are full of diseases.  Do you want to be poisoned when you eat fruit?



The support of other Australians in times of crisis, whether it be cyclone, floods, earthquakes, is always what gets the victims through the tough times.  Why don’t you stop being selfish and go out and volunteer to make someone’s life a bit easier.



Your claim that Queenslanders do not believe in paying for insurance is absolute rubbish.



Get your facts straight before you abuse companies through their website.  Your comments are appalling.  Shame on you.






Kareen Vitiello

Office Manager | Australian Banana Growers’ Council Inc | Unit 3 South Gate East Commercial Centre 250 Sherwood Road ROCKLEA QLD 4106 | PO Box 309 BRISBANE MARKET QLD 4106 | Tel: 07 3278 4786 | Fax: 07 3278 4938 |    
Mob: 0427 987 499 | Email: kareen.vitiello@abgc.org.au | Web: www.abgc.org.au

My reply to Vitiello:

Dear MsVitiello.

Thank you for your rude E-mail.



The government won’t allow the imported bananas because they are full of diseases.  Do you want to be poisoned when you eat fruit?

Are the Europeans and the Canadians eating poisoned bananas.



You state that from now on we will have to get used to paying a lot more for our bananas, because Woolworth and Coles will have to pay a decent price for bananas.

Tell me please, have the banana growers been losing all the time by growing bananas? How long could they go on doing that?

You either have no idea of commercial reality, or think that I and most others do not understand commercial reality.

I did my share of hard-work in life, even done some sugar cane cutting in Sarina, Queensland, and that by hand, so don’t try to lecture me on doing my bit in helping people in crisis.

Yours truly

Still waiting a response from Vitiello

SEAsian bananas taste 100 times better and are way cheaper than the bananas grown here.
In an era when the majority of Australians businesses are exposed to overseas competition there are still lazy inefficient primary producers who have been protected for far to long.
Aussie bananas are bland, tasteless and overpriced, I can never understand how do they produce such a poor product.
Import decent bananas and perhaps our producers will lift their game or grow something they know how to produce.

What is surprising on this forum, that people would argue about things that are almost irrelevant, yet hardly anyone is interested in subjects like banana prices which affects us all.

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Jul 24^th, 2011 at 1:15pm:


The only problem with that pansi, is by the time they shipped the SE Asian bananas to here, and they passed through quarantine...the 'drought' would be over and the local harvest and production would have started.....and the price will have dropped...

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Jul 24^th, 2011 at 1:15pm:



You really are fuken clueless aren't you?

The temporary rise in the price of bananas has nothing to do with a monopoly and everything to do with the friggen cyclone we had earlier this year.

And thanks for recommending imported bananas, don't let me see complain next time an industry gets destroyed leaving 1000's of people out of work, because that's what you want in trade for cheap fruit. 

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Jul 24^th, 2011 at 1:15pm:



It is. I grow my own Ladyfinger bananas, and they are delicious.  We had a bumper crop this year after the high rainfall.

The argument about disease is an excuse in order to prevent overseas bananas being sold in Australia. It's protectionism. At the same time, I can see the banana growers side. They have done it tough with the cyclones, and if they let overseas bananas into the country, it will kill the local industry. 

muso wrote on Jul 24^th, 2011 at 2:10pm:


And what's 'actually' wrong with protectionism???

Dsmithy70 wrote on Jul 24^th, 2011 at 3:19pm:


Hmmm you mean treat bananas like mangoes???