The price of some common vegetables will rise in the coming weeks due to heavy flooding in northwest Sydney, the state’s top agricultural body has warned. it has been flooded by wild weather, and costs are expected to reverberate through food supply chains to supermarket shelves.
NSW Farmers President James Jackson told 9news.com.au that farmers in the flood-affected area produce about $ 1 billion a year in food, “so the impact is quite significant. “.
The floods have flooded much of northwest Sydney. (Getty / Jenny Evans) Shoppers will likely see less cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli on supermarket shelves, he said, and any surviving produce will inevitably cost more.
“When supplies go down, prices go up,” Jackson said, predicting that Sydney’s metropolitan residents would be the main ones affected.
“It’s hard to say how long the impact of this flood will last, but it will certainly be significant for consumers.
“For farmers, it will take even longer to clean, rebuild and recover.”
Richmond growers have faced the worst floods in July, but farms and orchards in the midwest of the state have also been hit by torrential rains.
Jackson said some farmers in the Hunter Valley have drowned for the third time this year.
Matt Elgleish, an analyst at Thomas Elder Markets, agreed that the approaching supply line problems are likely to be located in Sydney.
“This type of flooding is not usually something that causes widespread implications,” he said.
The Hawkesbury River suffered heavy flooding in March, causing widespread damage to property and farms. (New / Brook Mitchell)
“Some of these horticultural regions gravitate toward areas of high rainfall and higher fertility soils, so they are often found in low-lying areas that are flooded.”
Bad weather earlier this year in parts of northern New South Wales and Queensland caused lettuce shortages in supermarkets during the months of May and June.