Fruit and vegetable growers in the region have welcomed assurances from two of the big supermarket chains that they will only turn to imports as a last resort. "I would hope that supermarkets would only import the bare essentials," Mareeba Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association president Joe Moro said. Coles and Woolworths have pledged not to import produce except where unavoidable in the face of a widening fruit and veggie shortages due to the floods. However, that will mean a lot of so-called "ugly" fruit "produce with minor blemishes due to heavy rains" as well as higher prices. Coles spokesman Jim Cooper said chillies, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli had been affected. Broccoli and capsicum prices were up about $1 a kilo and Queensland Roma tomatoes an extra $2.50.
However, John Roach, the chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries, played down the spectre of rocketing grocery bills. Some produce had gone up between 5 and 20 per cent, but others had actually come down, he said. Mr Moro said he understood that the supermarkets had amended their product specification. "If the blemish wasn't there, there would be no difference from the premium grade that was there before the floods and the wet season," he said. Ian MacLaughlin, a major producer of red papaya at Mareeba, said the supermarkets should have accepted "ugly" produce years ago. "My experience is that over the last 20 years they (supermarkets) have not bought blemished fruit and I think that is to the public disadvantage because perfect fruit is not natural and needs a lot of engineering," he said.
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