COFFS Coast banana farmers have handed over the box containing signatures from almost 40,000 people protesting the decision made by Coles Supermarkets to cease direct purchase of locally grown bananas, cucumbers, and pumpkins from Coffs Coast growers.
The public gathering of banana farmers, their families and community supporters took place at Brelsford Park in Coffs on Tuesday 3 November and was attended by Member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh and Coffs City Mayor, Nikki Williams.
Founder of the Save Coffs Coast Bananas Change.org campaign, Leanne (Lee) Gentle, wife of Coffs Harbour generational banana farmer Mick Gentle, addressed the media pressing key points about why the decision matters to the region’s farmers and community.
“In our view, this is a very poor decision to make, given that the bananas that they are supplying as of 31 October, are coming more than 2500 kilometres from far North Queensland down to Sydney to the distribution centre, to be unloaded, put in ripening rooms, reloaded back on by forklift, and trucked back up to Coffs Harbour, so that you can walk into a Coffs Harbour Coles store and buy North Queensland bananas,” Ms Gentle said.
She thanked members of the public for showing their remarkable support for local farming families by committing their name to the petition.
“While Coles management consistently ignored pleas to meet with impacted growers, their customers have spoken loudly — through thousands of social media comments, news coverage, and tens of thousands of petition signatures,” Ms Gentle said.
The industry’s peak body, the Australian Banana Growers Council and Coffs Harbour and District Banana Growers Association, has supported the campaign, as have local politicians.
“Thank you, Gurmesh, for taking this issue to Parliament,” Ms Gentle said.
“I loved your Notice of Motion that kicked off in Parliament saying that the North Coast of New South Wales grows the best bananas.”
Mr Singh also spoke directly to the gathering.
“Coles should reverse this appalling decision to stop buying bananas, cucumbers and Kent and butternut pumpkins directly from local growers for its Coffs Harbour, Moonee and Toormina stores,” Mr Singh said.
“It’s a move which has broken the hearts of our local farmers and threatened their livelihoods.
“When I met with Coles, I urged them to reverse the decision and to meet face-to-face with affected farmers to explain why they’ve cut local produce from their local supermarkets.
“So far, Coles has failed to do so and in my view, that’s pretty poor.”
Mr Singh said the focus now should be on the future, by continuing to promote the Coffs Coast’s fruit and vegetables to the world.
“Let’s face it, our local produce is renowned for its unrivalled quality and flavour. Why would you want to buy your fruit and vegetables from anywhere else?,” Mr Singh said.
“I will keep pushing for a fairer deal, too, between the major supermarkets and the growers who supply them.”
One positive outcome to emerge from the Coles fracas is the speed with which the Coffs Coast community has rallied to build the local food movement.
“We can claim a very real victory for local food security and the awakening of a local food movement,” Ms Gentle said.
“The sleeping lion has woken, and the community is seeking out places to buy locally grown food here, where it is grown.”
This sees the community supporting local businesses that supply local bananas and produce, farmers selling direct, joining platforms like Box Divvy, and activity on the uForage app’s live map of farm-gate sales and roadside stalls.
Independent local supermarkets and fruit stores have also begun stocking Coffs-grown produce.
The campaign is the voice for the 33-plus local farmers.
“Some of them are here today,” Ms Gentle said.
“This is my family, my husband, our children and grandchildren, and our farming friends, they are very affected by this.”
Mayor Nikki Williams said she thought the issue highlighted a bigger story of Coffs Harbour as a city and its history.
She cited the upcoming centenary of Coffs Harbour’s launch of large-scale commercial banana growing for the Sydney market in 1927, with local banana farms stretching from Bonville to Kororo.
“Our banana industry is what made Coffs Harbour one of the biggest multicultural success stories in our country,” Cr Williams said.
Pushing home the point that Coffs Harbour is the pointy end of all-things bananas in Australia she said: “Just this year, we (CH) entered the Guinness Book of Records for the largest human-formed banana.
“There are so many more stories to tell, and I think that that’s how we get the message out there.
“We’re not just talking about our farmers right now, who are hugely important to all of us, and we will absolutely keep on that fight, but we’re talking about Coffs Harbour and who we are as a city, where we came from and how we became the type of city that we are.
“It started with our farming industry.”
Cr Williams signed off by saying: “We’ve got your back, farmers”.
By Andrea FERRARI
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