SOLD ON SIMPLE LIFE
FNQ invests in homesteading as COVID-19 forces isolation
FARM SUPPLIERS and nurseries have recorded bumper sales with fertiliser, chook food and seeds flying out the door as the latest wave of panic buying grips Cairns.
NQ Rural Supplies owner manager Dion Rayner said sales of seeds and farm supplies had “lifted significantly” over the past fortnight. Preppers, urban families and hobby farmers are stocking up to beat border closures, embracing a simple life on a tight budget.
GREEN thumbs throughout Cairns have jumped on planting season to prep their gardens and stay self-sufficient during self-isolation.
Freshwater’s Limberlost Garden Centre has installed extra hand wash stations to cater for the wave of garden preppers hoping to avoid supermarket fresh produce aisles.
“Now is the time to plant and there are health benefits if children are going to be home,” the nursery’s Cheryl Fisher said.
“It is a good time to work in the garden.”
The coronavirus pandemic has hit Cairns as ground soil has cooled down and is primed for seeding.
“The heat has come out of the ground,” Ms Fisher said.
“There isn’t as much humidity in the air.”
She said new seedlings and seeds were coming online as the nursery and suppliers kicked into gear to meet the demand from veteran and novice gardeners.
“We grow a lot of seedlings ourselves,” Ms Fishers said.
“Customers are buying tomatoes, lettuce, corn, capsicums, the annuals that grow through the year.”
Greenlife Industry Australia has lobbied the Federal Government to declare the horticulture industry as an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is particularly for the Federal Government to acknowledge the supply of ornamental and primary production horticultural greenlife as essential for Australia’s food supply and security and the physical and mental health of Australians at a time when many are practising selfisolation, social distancing and working from home,” GIA chief executive Peter Vaughn said.