Banana pest and disease control
The banana industry in Queensland is a very valuable resource worth over $200 million per year.
Three serious diseases threaten bananas:
Special control programs have been established within Queensland for bunchy top, panama disease and leaf spot disease. The control programs are made possible by implementing special quarantine measures set out in the Plant Protection Regulation 2002.
Quarantine areas
There are six quarantine areas in Queensland. These areas provide for the isolation of infections and therefore limit the economic impact of these diseases within specific quarantine areas.
Far Northern and Northern Buffer Banana PQAs (
PDF, 125 kB)
Northern Banana PQA ( PDF, 81.7 kB)
Southern Buffer and Special PQAs ( PDF, 65.6 kB)
Southern Banana PQA ( PDF, 65.1 kB)
About 80% of the Australian banana crop is produced in north Queensland's wet tropics. The other major growing area in Queensland is in the southern districts some 600 km away. The northern areas are not infected with bunchy top but the southern areas are. Restrictions on movement of bananas allow this disease to be isolated.
Regulatory requirements
The Plant Protection Regulation 2002 is administered by DPI&F plant health inspectors and provides for:
- Reporting or notifying of the diseases in bananas
- Providing certificates to move banana plants and for planting of bananas
- Eradicating or destroying any infected banana plants.
Note: Everyone in Queensland requires an inspector's certificate to move or plant bananas.
For a certificate, information and advice contact your local DPI&Fplant health inspector (see Biosecurity contacts).
For general information contact DPI&F Business Information Centre 13 25 23 (free call) between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Last updated 16 July 2007