Banana brief history
Banana has a very long and impressive history. Scientists believed that banana is originated from Southeast Asia for 10 thousand years, then it spread to India and Africa as well as Polynesia, then later on to China. In 327 BC Alexander the Great invaded India and has tasted this strange fruit, later on, it had been introduced to the Western world.
According to Australian Banana Grower, Australian banana farmers have produced over 400,000 tons in 2016/2017 which is worth 600 million dollars where Australian families buy banana weekly. Though banana is grown throughout Australia, Tully and Innisfail produce the most. In 2006 when the Tropical Cyclone Larry hit Australia's far-north Queensland, it flattened banana grower industry to the ground. It destroyed over 80% of Australian banana and the cost of banana per kilogram skyrocket to over 400%.
At that time most Hmong banana growers who rent farms are broke and declare bankruptcy and gain assistance from the Australian government. Most left this industry where only a few who have bought their farms stay put and carry on. Soua Phia Thao is one of many Hmong banana farmers who survived this cyclone.
Why Hmong came to Australia and doing banana farm
Before 1975 most Hmong family in Southeast Asia were subsistence farmers and live mostly in remote areas far from town or cities with little or no opportunities to education or trade and businesses.
However, after 1975 when Laos has changed its administration from Royal administration to Communist Regime (Pathet Lao). And during Vietnam War, there were many Hmong who was secretly recruited by the US's CIA (Central Intelligence Agency to impede the northern Vietnam Hochiminh Trial (the secret war) to take over South Vietnam and stopping the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia.
After US President Richard Nixon has signed a peace deal in 1973, many Hmong had to flee from their homeland as they fear for lives their own safety as well as retribution from the Pathet Lao communist regime when the US withdrew from Vietnam War.
This has lead to an exodus of Hmong refugees to the neighboring country especially Thailand. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) then jumped in to rescue refugees from many countries who fled to Thailand and most of them applied for refugee status to resettle in many Western countries including Australia, where close to 4000 Hmong called home.
Soua Phia Thao (Peter Thao) who resides in Innisfail, far-north Queensland in the Australian subtropical region has been planting different fruits and doing agribusiness for the last 3 decades. It is very labor demanding jobs and perseverance are needed, however, Mr. Soua Phia Thao is happy that he reaps what he sows.
"I had to work really hard for the last couple of years but I was happy that the harder I work the more money I make."
Initially, when he arrived in Australia, Mr. Thao thinks that education might not be an option and agribusiness seem to fit him better.
He then decided to work on Australian banana farms and learned everything about this business and how to make a living out of it.
Since then he decided to buy a banana farm and starting his own business, but banana is not the only fruits that he grows.
He has tried Cavendish banana but its price stumbles so he changed to Valery banana and stick with it since. He said that in those days, one box of banana weigh 10-kilogram cost up to $50 but due to more planting now it is about $30 per box.
Mr. Thao said that he has to help his older son's banana farms as well, so in general, he has to manage two farms.
Besides banana farms, he also plants dragon fruit, galangal, ginger, and turmeric. The laters can only be harvested once a year while banana can be harvested many occasions depending on how well you manage your farms. And he can harvest dragon fruit up to 15 tons per season. All his agricultural products are to be distributed to Sydney and Melbourne fruits and vegs shops.
Mr. Peter said that there are three types of dragon fruit namely white, red and yellow. For yellow dragon fruit, it is very aromatic and very tasty but it doesn't bear many fruits, whereas white and red dragon yield more. So it is a much more economically viable option.
