Water drowns crops in Queensland, Australia.

Australia’s severe flooding, along with its strong currency, could cause a 20% drop in fruit and vegetable exports this year, according to local media.

David Minnis, the former chairman of the Australian Horticultural exporters Association, said market share has been lost in Asia and will be difficult to recover, according to the The Australian Broadcasting Co.’s website.

"All the Asian markets have been full of cherries from Chile this year,” he is quoted as saying. "Once importers start to secure a good quality from one country, they're reluctant to necessarily change, particularly if we can't beat them on price."

Fruits and vegetables valued at $600 million are usually exported from Australia each year, the website said.

Crop damage could reach AU $1 billion, according to an estimate from AgForce, a Queensland farm industry group, according to the Courier-Mail.

Growers whose crops have not been destroyed have had difficulty transporting their products to market because of flooded roads and rail lines.

Photo: Reuters

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com