The Northern Territory city of Palmerston is in ‘banana lock-down’ after the fungal disease known as Banana Freckle was discovered in the suburb of Gray.
The NT’s Chief plant health manager, Stephen West, says the entire city has been declared a quarantine area and banana plants will have to be destroyed if they’re within one kilometre of the infected property.
“And for those people that are within a five kilometre area of that property, they’ll be within what we call our control area,” he said.
“So what that basically means is that they can’t plant any new bananas and they can’t move any plant material.
“There will be some people that will lose their bananas in Palmerston.”
Mr West says no bananas will be allowed in or out of Palmerston while the quarantine zone is in place.
Banana Freckle was first discovered on Cavendish bananas in the Northern Territory last year, and a number of Top End areas are now under quarantine.
Around $4.4 million is being spent on trying to eradicate Banana Freckle from the Territory.
A Banana Freckle Hotline has been set up on 1800 771 163. For more information click here.
Dr Stephen West was on the NT Country Hour today to explain the ramifications of finding Banana Freckle in Palmerston, click on the audio link to here that interview.
Source: ABC