SYDNEY, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Farmers in northeastern Australia are counting the cost of recent tropical cyclone Niran, with further disaster assistance announced on Monday to support those whose livelihoods were damaged.
Niran lingered off the Australian coastline for days as a category 2 in early March before increasing to a category 5 as it headed further out to sea. From there Niran rapidly weakened and was downgraded to an extratropical storm on March 6 before reaching New Caledonia.
"The destructive winds and flash flooding brought by tropical cyclone Niran left a trail of destruction that requires an extensive clean-up effort in the Burdekin," Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan said.
While Niran never made direct landfall in Australia, resulting winds and intense rainfall significantly affected the banana crop in far-north Queensland, with some estimates placing the damage at around 180 million Australian dollars (138.5 million U.S. dollars).
Some farmers reported losing up to 100 percent of their crops according to the Australian Banana Growers Council, which could see a significant increase in the price of the fruit in Australia.
Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said financial assistance would be offered in the form of freight subsidies and concessional loans to aid the recovery of impacted primary producers in Cassowary Coast, Cairns, Hinchinbrook, Mareeba and Tablelands.
"We have all seen images in the media of the destruction brought to the banana plantations in these regions and it is imperative that we respond to the situation," Littleproud said. Enditem