Community
24 September, 2023
Carbon-free bananas
THE goal of producing carbon neutral bananas and reducing run-off to the Great Barrier Reef is one step closer for Boogan’s Bartle Frere Bananas with a grant of $445,000 from the Coles Nurture Fund.
A family-run business owned by third generation farmer Gavin Devaney, Bartle Frere Bananas has been operating for over 30 years striving for cleaner and more sustainable processes, which caught Coles’ attention after he applied for the Coles Nurture Fund grant.
Launched in 2015, the Coles Nurture Fund promotes innovation offering small and medium-sized producers financial support of up to $500,000 to help them develop innovative products, technologies, and processes.
Mr Devaney said the grant would mean fast-tracking his projects towards carbon neutral bananas.
“Tracking our fruit and sustainable farming have always been a big part of our business, it’s a passion for me,” he said.
“It’s almost impossible to take on these projects on my own, with the help of Coles, we’ll be able to fast track and fund them.
“The projects focus on fruit practices and target measures reducing gas emissions, one of them is a trial that will have a look at interactions amongst soil fertilisers to prevent overusing and emissions within farming.
“Other examples are making machinery electric when possible, using more solar systems and utilising an interface we’re using within the Smart Farming Project, for the last three years, to grab all the information so I can run a sort of accounting program for my carbon footprint and reductions around it.
“The major goal in all of this is to produce a carbon neutral product (bananas) and for Coles to be able to implement this in their horticulture range which is fantastic.”
