Carnarvon mango grower Eddie Smith at a $40k loss after record two-day heatwave sears crops

An unexpected October heatwave in the State’s food bowl has caused fruits and vegetables to spoil, with some growers losing more than 50 per cent of their crops, equating to a $100,000 deficit in one case. Carnarvon growers threw out an abundance of crops after two days of 43-44C weather which caused fields of mangoes to burn, with other fruits and vegetables also affected by the unseasonal heat. A record high of 43.9C was recorded at Carnarvon Airport on Monday, October 16 — the previous hottest October day was 42.4C in 1958. The Bureau of Meteorology also recorded 43.2 degrees the day before. The month-to-date mean maximum temperature for October hit a record 30.7C, up from the 29.1C recorded in 2010. Mango grower Eddie Smith, who is also Carnarvon Shire president, said the heat burnt his mango trees as they were in the process of setting, causing him to lose about 50 per cent of fruit — an estimated loss of about $40,000. He said most of the fruit on the north and west side of the mango trees were spoiled. “Some of the smaller ones shrivelled up like raisins, the larger ones got the black spots,” he said. “It burns the skin and then rots underneath and destroys the fruit.” Mr Smith said in 17 years of growing mangoes, he could only recall one October where the fruit burnt from the heat like it did last month, and put the extreme case down to low humidity levels. “At 44 degrees with no humidity, minus dew point and crystal clear air, there was nothing to block the sun at all, so it’s a combination of sun rays and just general heat. We’ve had days over 40 degrees but they haven’t suffered whatsoever,” he said. Gascoyne Gold operations manager Ivan Durmanich said one farmer lost $100,000 worth of capsicums, or 60-70 per cent, and lost all his eggplants. “The heat knocks down the flowers, so he’s lost the next batch of fruits. Then he needs to face the summer heat,” he said. “In my warehouse we’ve had bugger all to pack ... those 40C days really hit people hard.” Carnarvon Growers Association president Paul Shain said a number of crops were affected from the early heat, but putting up with nature’s extremes was part and parcel of being a farmer. “We lost some beans, our egg fruit lost colour, our chillies got singed, our mangoes got singed, but it seems to have grown through it now, so we’re okay,” he said. “These events are common and unfortunately the primary producers got to work through it, it’s just another nail in the coffin for the for the horticulture industry.” Grower Phil Frzop said the heatwave was unexpected but his capsicum crops had already finished and his melons were too young to be impacted. “A lot of the mangoes were lost, I’m sure the bananas were burnt, and the crops of corn. For us, we didn’t have much in at the time,” he said. Mr Frzop said the damage was mostly done where growers had already injected money into maturing the fruit. “In early October you don’t mind the 38C or 39C or 40C, but when it gets to those extreme temperatures — 44 degrees in the shade is 50-plus degrees out in the sun, so not much survives that sort of stuff,” he said. “The plant will start shutting down on its fruit so the plant can survive, it’s just Mother Nature.”