Banana Freckle Creates Buzz

The National Banana Freckle Eradication Program is buzzing people’s pockets to stop the spread of Banana Freckle in the Northern Territory.

The Program is sending short SMS messages to people in Red Zones asking if their banana plants have regrown

Kevin Cooper, State Coordinator, says SMS is one of the most effective ways to contact busy people in the NT.

“If you live in a Red Zone and had banana plants destroyed in Phase 1 of the Eradication program, you may receive an SMS message asking if your banana plants have regrown,” Mr Cooper said.

“We need to know if your banana plants have or have not regrown, so we are making it as easy as possible for people to get this information to us.

“Banana plants that have regrown can host the Banana Freckle fungus. We need to destroy all regrowth by September 30.

“People in the NT live active lives, especially during the dry season, so the SMS message will minimise repeated attempts to contact the 9500 addresses where banana plants were eradicated.

“The SMS message will have four reply options, and people only need to reply with a number from 1 to 4.

“People who receive the SMS can respond anywhere, anytime; we want to make it as simple as possible for people to let us know if they do or do not have regrowth.

“Responding will assist the NT community meet another target in its efforts to eradicate Banana Freckle,” Mr Cooper said.

Mr Cooper added that the Program does not have mobile numbers for all those who had banana plants eradicated, and asked that people make contact if they have not heard from the Program.

“People can destroy the regrowth themselves and let us know, or make an appointment for the Banana Freckle team to treat their banana plant regrowth free of charge,” Mr Cooper said.

“The Program has been successful so far due to overwhelming community support and we want to thank all the people in the Northern Territory who have shown we have what it takes to eradicate this serious plant pest.

“Eradicating Banana Freckle from the NT means we can enjoy healthy Territory-grown bananas in the future,” Mr Cooper said.

To report regrowth status: Banana Freckle Hotline 1800 77 11 63, email banana@nt.gov.au or take the Regrowth Survey at www.bananafreckle.nt.gov.au

For further information about this media release please contact the National Banana Freckle Eradication Program Communications Manager on 08 8999 2085