SHOPPERS could bear the brunt of Tropical Cyclone Debbie after it decimated crops across Far North Queensland on Tuesday.
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Australians have been warned to expect the price of tomatoes and capsicums to rise after the cyclone smashed the "food bowl of the north" around Bowen, destroying winter crops.
The region provides about 95 per cent of Australia's winter supply of tomatoes and capsicums, which were due for picking in late May.
University of New England senior lecturer of finance, John Anderson, believed that would be enough to send shoppers reaching further into their hip pockets.
“Any time there’s a reduction in supply, it’s going to affect the price,” Dr Anderson said.
He said producers would be forced to increase the price of what produce remains to offset the loss and meet demand, but “would hate to see anybody being opportunistic”.
But Tamworth-based Farmer Bob's Fruit Market owner Brendon North said talks of a severe produce shortage and a subsequent price spike was just a case of scare-mongering.
Mr North said shoppers would feel the cost of freight over that of crop damage due to widespread damage to road networks.
He said it was wrong to compare Cyclone Debbie with Cyclone Yasi, the 2011 category five that destroyed 75 per cent of banana crops, because damage was far less severe this time around.