Price hikes and shortages flagged after banana crops ‘cop a flogging’ in north Queensland floods

The Queensland banana industry’s heartland has expanded and now spreads from about Lakeland, 150km north of Cairns, to Kennedy, south of Tully. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Australians can expect banana shortages and price hikes as the cleanup begins in flood-ravaged north Queensland, which grows almost 94% of Australia’s banana crop, growers say.

But the good news, for consumers at least, is that any banana dramas playing out on supermarket shelves over coming days will be linked to transport disruption rather than widespread crop destruction – meaning the price and availability of one of the country’s favourite fruits should soon return to normal.