[Green-Activist] Cyclone Larry profiteering? Prices go bananas!

[Roy Garner]

Dear Activists,
Cyclone Larry.  A terrible disaster, with many lives and livelihoods 
disrupted, homes lost and soul-searching about life choices and the 
Future.  No one can deny that, and no one can deny the need for a 
national recovery response to rebuild homes (hopefully cyclone-proof) 
and other damaged infrastructure...
But...
With bananas now selling in Sydney stores from $5.95 to $7.95 a kilo 
and supermarkets displaying signs blaming Cyclone Larry for shortages, 
some must be wondering whether or not the high prices are really a 
consequence of banana crop destruction.
After all, aren't bananas picked green? And surely all those flattened 
trees must have recoverable fruit on them?  ("Fruit"? some will tell 
you bananas are a herb, not a fruit)
It seems that green bananas are pretty tough customers, and any 
sensible grower would make an effort to harvest them...
Without further speculation on the alleged speculation, I'd be 
interested to hear from other activists who may have heard gossip on 
the grapevine, including these questions:
What percentage of the crops was destroyed?
How many growers attempted a post-cyclone harvest?
How many harvested bananas are in cold storage?
How does this yield compare with a good year's harvest?
Can crops in other areas not affected by the cyclone (Coffs Harbour, 
for example) meet any anticipated shortfall in supply?
Cheers
Roy