Major nationwide banana shortage leaves Coles and Woolworths shelves stripped bare

A major nationwide banana shortage has left supermarket shelves stripped bare across Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi.

Customers shopping in stores and online are being met with notices warning of the shortages. Coles’ notice reads: “Banana variety may vary due to challenging growing conditions.”

Woolworths goes into a little more detail. It explains: “Weather in Far North Queensland has slowed banana growth, limiting stock. We are working with growers to restore normal supply. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

Some supermarket locations have fewer varieties of bananas displayed than normal, or bananas that are green in appearance and taking longer to ripen. Other locations have been stripped of bananas altogether, including in Geelong and Melbourne.

Anon van den Berg, co-founder of community food network Box Divvy, confirmed to nine.com.au: “Cooler-than-usual spring weather during much of September has drastically slowed banana growth and maturation. Daytime temperatures around Innisfail, Mareeba and the Atherton Tablelands were 2-3 degrees Celsius below normal which is enough to slow things down.”

About 95 per cent of the country’s bananas are grown in far North Queensland, with the vast majority concentrated around the Cassowary Coast and Atherton Tablelands regions, including Tully, Innisfail, and Mareeba. The region is experiencing unusually prolonged cool spring temperatures.

Bananas need high heat and tropical humidity to develop, which has delayed crops growing to a harvestable size.

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Production costs are also understood to have worsened the current banana shortage. Every box travels thousands of kilometres by refrigerated road or rail freight to reach southern capitals.

High diesel prices have added millions in weekly regional transport surcharges across the industry, leading to some growers reportedly delaying transporting lower-yield harvests.

van den Berg said growers expert banana supplies to return to normal capacity by November.

“That said, the BOM is forecasting daytime temperatures in the Innisfail region to remain one to two degrees below normal, so don’t expect a bumper crop anytime soon,” he said.

Although he expects production in the Coffs Harbour region to help fill the gap.

“Production in the Coffs Harbour region, where the BOM is expecting above average temperatures, should pick up over the next month or so. We look forward to bringing more fruit from this region to NSW and southeast Queensland.”

Although this exact situation serves to highlight a concern expressed by a Coffs Habour banana grower earlier this year.

Coles announced the end of its partnership with Coffs Harbour fruit and vegetable wholesaler Golden Dawn so it could centralise its supply chains, meaning its bananas would be sourced solely from northern Queensland by the end of October.

Paul Shoker, a Cavendish banana grower at Shoker Family Farm, told nine.com.au at the time this could lead to issues due to a lack of “geographical diversity” in Australian supermarkets.

“Ninety-five per cent of all bananas grow in North Queensland, so that’s a huge risk for the business,” he said.

Coles responded by saying: “We regularly review our supply chain to ensure we are delivering the best value, quality and availability for our customers.”

“Coles will continue to source 100 per cent of its bananas from Australian growers. This decision is part of a broader change to Coles’ fresh produce supply model.

“As part of that change, we are transitioning away from direct-to-store produce arrangements and towards a more consistent operating model across our store network.”