A Decade of Containment Opens New Possibilities

“Alternative cropping is a way forward that balances grower viability with industry protection.” - ABGC

For more than ten years, Panama TR4 has been contained to the Tully Valley in Far North Queensland. Since the initial detection, ABGC has played a pivotal role in guiding and advocating on behalf of industry, through supporting impacted growers, ensuring ongoing resilience and bringing an industry voice to policy decisions. While Panama TR4 remains a serious threat, this achievement reflects the resilience of Australia’s banana industry and the strength of grower commitment.   

With this in mind, the banana industry’s focus has expanded from containment and preparedness, to include finding practical and sustainable solutions for the future. Growers, researchers and the ABGC have worked together to identify viable pathways forward. Through consultation, alternative cropping use was identified as a possible solution, which offers growers an opportunity to repurpose Panama TR4-affected land. 

ABGC has worked closely with Biosecurity Queensland (BQ) to enable alternative cropping options for Panama TR4-affected properties. This required a thorough understanding of the risks involved and the development of strategies to mitigate those risks through targeted risk assessments, grower consultation, expert advice and tailored biosecurity measures.