KEY POINTS:
Avocado growers from around the country will see $40 million worth of damage close-up when they come to Whangarei this week.
People attending the Avocado Growers' Association biennial national conference in the city tomorrow and Friday are scheduled to visit three local orchards which were among many where crops were ruined and livelihoods shattered in the stormy weather of July 10 and 11.
The vice-chairman of the association, Roger Barber, of Kamo, who is one of four grower members of the Avocado Industry Council, said there would not be many happy local faces at the conference.
About 200 growers in the Whangarei and Mangawhai area had expected to produce a record 1.2 million trays of avocados this season - almost double their output last year.
But devastating winds which lashed the region earlier this month uprooted trees, smashed branches and dropped about half of the crop - about 600,000 trays - to the ground.
The fruit left on trees was battered in the storm, causing rubbing damage which is likely to downgrade it from export or domestic sale to avocado oil production.
Mr Barber said the storm damage would have long-lasting effects on avocado production in the Whangarei-Mangawhai area and its total cost was estimated at about $40 million.
Growers appeared to be philosophical about their situation but he said some who had their financial futures riding on their crop must be devastated.
"Growers have been in shock. Some got out their chainsaws and started cleaning up the damage straight away but others stayed away from their orchards - they didn't want to know," Mr Barber said.
He briefed two Avocado Industry Council board meetings last week on the Whangarei-Mangawhai situation and directors were expected to arrive at the annual conference half a day early to inspect the storm damage.
The industry council had applied for Government assistance for the north and $60,000 had been provided for workshops to give growers financial and recovery advice.
The council had also sent Tauranga scientist Jonathan Dixon to Northland to advise growers how to manage their storm-damaged orchards.
Clean-up assistance was being provided through Task Force Green. Apart from that, help for growers appeared to be limited to Winz hardship cash for people unemployed after being knocked out of business by the storm.
Mr Barber said MAF had classified the storm as a "medium-scale" event, limiting Government financial assistance available only after "major" catastrophes.
He had attended a meeting on Saturday where pastoral farmers had unsuccessfully attempted to persuade a MAF policy adviser the Northland storm damage was "major".
"I was surprised - I expected the classification to be upgraded," Mr Barber said.
Heavy rain which fell on Far North avocado orchards during the storm did comparatively little damage and growers in the Bay of Plenty also escaped unscathed.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
