6-8 August, 2025
RACV Royal Pines Resort
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Program

The Australian Banana Industry Congress will bring together more than 450 members of the industry including banana growers, researchers, representatives from the supply chain and retailers, as a host of other key groups critical to the Australian banana industry ecosystem. 

The event will cover the latest in research and development and industry news. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of that conversation! 

In 2025, you can expect a renewed sense of purpose for the whole event and new ways of tackling key issues facing the industry. Watch this space!

The congress program is subject to change. 

Time Wednesday 6 August 2025
0830-1630
Science Symposium
TBC
Site Tours
1730-1930 Welcome Reception

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

The congress program is subject to change. 

Registration

Science Symposium

Tea and coffee served on arrival

Integrated pest and disease management

The future of IPDM in bananas
Kathy Grice, David East & Richard Piper

Insect sanctuaries for Beneficial Predators and Parasites in Bananas
Daniel Farrell

Extension – The value of putting grower collaboration at the heart of project design and delivery.
Tegan Cavallaro

Bunch pest management, investigating practices to maximise efficacy and stewardship of registered chemistries
Ingrid Jenkins

Morning tea

Progress in banana diagnostics and disease detection

Keeping bananas healthy
Andre Drenth

Novel assay to detect Ralstonia solanacearum causing Moko disease in banana
Lilia Carvalhais

A lateral flow immunoassay for the in-field detection of banana bunchy top virus
John Thomas

BBTV-infected plants are infectious earlier than previously thought!
Kathy Crew

Improved varieties for Australian banana growers

Identifying Sources of Resistance to Fusarium Wilt
Elizabeth Aitken

New varieties for Australian banana growers
Jeff Daniells

Are we approaching Goldfinger’s golden era?
Katelyn Robertson

Pre-commercialisation Trials For New Banana Varieties – A Crucial Step in the Variety Development Pipeline
Stewart Lindsay

Lunch

Enhancing agronomic and environmental sustainability

Phosphorus trial results and observations
Alex Lindsay

Variation in nitrogen content in banana leaves
Catherine Chung

Direct and indirect effects of herbicide, on banana soil microbial diversity and function
Tony Pattison

Banana Yield Mapping
Shannon Byrnes

Minimising waste bananas

Banana supply chain monitoring and simulation identifies critical control points
Andrew Macnish

Banana action plan: How to minimise food waste?
Delwar Akbar

Exploring the Potential of Bananas as a Natural Source of Sleep- Inducing Compounds: Tryptophan and Melatonin
Mengdi Wu

Afternoon tea

Reducing the impact of Tropical Race 4

EFS – suppression of TR4 is now possible
Vu Nguyen

Woodchip amendment can alter banana soil microbial abundance and disease suppressive potential
Hazel Gaza

Uncovering soil microbial interactions during the destruction of Panama disease infected banana plants
Tony Pattison

Welcome Reception

Pullman Reef Casino

Australian Produce Partners
Proudly supported by APP

Registration

Tea and coffee stations open from 0730

Opening ceremony & official congress opening

Plenary session

Comedian
Jimeoin

Booth 8
Arcella Banana Company

A smart vision for a sustainable future: SMaRT technologies and MICROfactories™ creating sustainable materials and products from waste

International recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor revolutionising recycling science


Prof Veena Sahajwalla

Ritchies Plastics

William Ritchie   William Ritchie

Morning tea

Enjoy morning tea in the exhibition area and celebrate Banana BMP’s 10th birthday (Booth 41).

Plenary session

Emma Germano

Industry Advocacy – Are we going Bananas?
Emma Germano
VFF President and former Nuttfield scholar

Retail Panel

Understanding the customer and the current retail climate
Cara Reynolds
Category Manager for Ripened Fruit, Woolworths

Richard Clayton
Managing Director, Australian Produce Partners

Andrew Burns
ABGC Supply Chain Engagement Manager

Moderated by Paul Inderbitzin, Congress Chair, ABGC Director and grower

Lunch break

Enjoy lunch in the exhibition area. 

Banana Women's Luncheon

Pakall
Proudly supported by Pakall

Plenary session

Global robotic advances in tree cropping

  Professor Salah Sukkarieh

Booth 8
Arcella Banana Company

TR4 Transition to industry

Rhiannon Evans, BQ

Leanne Erakovic, CEO ABGC

Science Poster Pitches

Consider this your crash course in Banana R&D. 

A fast paced, dynamic session where banana researchers have just 60 seconds to update you on the work presented in their scientific posters.

View Science Posters

Afternoon tea and Science Poster session

Banana R&D Panel

Knowledge and challenges for the development of agroecology in the banana sector

Philippe Tixier

Philippe Tixier
Ecologist/agronomist, French Agricultural REsearch CEntre for International Development (CIRAD)

The future of IPDM in bananas

Kathy Grice

Kathy Grice, DAF

TR4 resistant bananas on the horizon – near and far

 Jeff Daniells, DAF

Tradeshow Exhibition Evening

Exhibition arena, Cairns Convention an Exhibition Centre

Costa: well grown
Proudly supported by Banana Exchange Pty Ltd (Costa Group)

Registration

Tea and coffee stations open from 0730

ABGC Members-only Grower Meeting

*Pre-registration is required

Driving demand for the banana industry

Australian Bananas Market Overview
NielsenIQ
Transforming the Australian Bananas Marketing Program
Jane Smith, General Manager of Marketing, Hort Innovation, Gillian Reilly, Head of Consumer Marketing, Hort Innovation, Andre Krogh, Head of Customer Marketing, Hort Innovation
and Belinda Van Schaik, Marketing Manager, Hort Innovation

Morning tea

Plenary session

You’re growing, not going, Bananas

  John Harper, Mental HealthA wheat/sheep farmer John Harper sitting on a cut tree log in the early morning sun, his machinery behind him.

You too can Climb a Ladder! – to become a better parent, a better partner – a better YOU. 

Trevor Farmer, Co-founder of TopcatzA fearless and clever entrepreneur, Trevor Farmer stands in a paddock with warm sunshine rays and a welcoming smile

Lunch break

Enjoy lunch in the exhibition area

TR4 Panel

Local and global plastics landscape for bananas
Marc Jackson

Innovation Panel & Closing ceremony

Biological Bunch Pest Management Control Trial

Frank Sciacca, Innisfail Grower
Richard Piper, DAF

Advanced Data Analytics to Improve Environmental Performance

Gavin Devaney, (Innisfail Grower)
Dallas Gibb, Hitachi Vantara
Liam Southam-Rogers, Applied Horticultural Research

Closing ceremony

Paul Inderbitzin, Congress Chair, ABGC Director and grower

Banana Industry Ball and Awards of Honour

Auditorium A & D, Cairns Convention & Exhibition Centre

Visy: For a better world
Proudly supported by Visy
Major Partner

Australian Produce Partners

Australian Produce Partners

Partnering with Australian fresh food producers to help grow, package, distribute and promote, fresh produce to market

Contact
Associate Partner

Arcella Banana Company

Arcella Bananas

Arcella Banana Company and its growing arm Tropicana Banana are proudly 100% Australian family owned and operated. With over 40 years’ experience, we are passionate about all facets of bananas. We are committed in investing in the future of the Australian banana industry.

We strive to provide growers with the best service and ensure that retailers receive the best quality bananas 52 weeks of the year.

Contact
Supporting Partner

Pakall

Pakall

Pakall Pty Ltd as a business was originally started by Roger and Beverly Paynter at West End Brisbane in 1974. After a humble beginning selling general packaging, Pakall soon moved business to Sumner Park in 1982. A polyethylene extrusion plant was immediately established at these premises. This move into extrusion allowed Pakall to grow and specialise in food and flexible packaging and to develop the area of general packaging as well. In 2012 Pakall moved to our newer and bigger premises at Acacia Ridge, Brisbane. Having this facility has allowed us to expand into multilayer films and barrier products.

Pakall Pty Ltd is still a family owned company and one of the only vertically integrated plastics companies in Australia. After 40+ years we still pride ourselves on selling only quality packaging materials as well as providing a level of service that only comes with a family owned business. We have attained the ‘ISO 9001’ as well as the ‘ECO’ ratings and HACCP certification, and are proud  members of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO).

The company specialises in a wide range of packaging products. Please do not hesitate to contact one of our customer service officers to discuss your packaging requirements.

Contact
Associate Partner

Costa Group

Costa: well grown

Costa’s exceptional quality Cavendish and Lady Finger bananas are enjoyed around the country. Our delicious bananas are grown all year round in the ideal climates of Tully and Walkamin on the Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland. We grow them so you can enjoy them every day of the year. Costa adopts sustainable farming with a specific emphasis upon protecting the Great Barrier Reef. We know fallowing, planting, fertilisation and the use of chemicals all affect the health of the soil, the plants and, crucially, the fruit. We stick to best practice regimes to ensure we can continually provide the best-quality eating bananas. In addition to our strict farming practices, we maintain strict post-harvest procedures including packing, storage, transport, ripening and dispatch. This ensures our bananas remain at optimum condition until the moment they are enjoyed by the end consumer.

Contact
Foundation Partner & Gala Dinner

VISY

2019 Partner - VISY

Partnering with you for a better world. Visy is delighted to be a longstanding foundation partner of the Australian Banana Industry Congress, supporting the sector’s growers and stakeholders to meet their goals. As a global leader in packaging and resource recovery, we are able to offer you a full range of innovative packaging and automation solutions, including fibre options, pallets, banana bags and packing shed technology. Sustainability sits at the centre of our operating model and we are committed to helping you reach your own sustainability goals. Together we can create solutions that meet the growing consumer demand for environmentally responsible packaging and make a significant contribution to sustainability for the wider community. We are proudly Australian owned, and our large, local footprint ensures we can offer you more flexibility, greater reliability and faster speed to market. All while providing local jobs and strengthening the Australian manufacturing industry.

Call 13 VISY or visit www.visy.com.au to find out how we can work together to help you reach your goals.

Contact

Science Poster Panel

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Science Poster Panel

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