In its submission to the review, Fruit Growers Victoria highlighted the economic and social importance of horticulture in the state’s irrigation regions, particularly the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District.
FGV represents growers who produce about 90 per cent of Australia’s pears, 50 per cent of apples, 75 per cent of stone fruit and 37 per cent of cherries, much of it grown under irrigation in northern Victoria.
FGV says the region delivers a disproportionately high return for its water use.
Although northern Victoria only accounts for about nine per cent of the basin’s total area, it generates the highest agricultural output, around $14.5 billion, along with $6.6 billion in value‑added agriculture and $9 billion in food manufacturing output, according to the submission.
Despite this contribution, irrigators carry a heavy share of water recovery, FGV said.
It reports that about 37 per cent of environmental water recovered in the southern connected basin has come from the Goulburn system, while high‑reliability water entitlements linked to land have fallen by around 45 per cent since 2000-01.
As a result, many growers now hold only 40 to 50 per cent of the water needed in an average year, relying increasingly on the temporary market and carryover.
The submission warns that modelling shows extreme dry scenarios could leave insufficient water to sustain existing orchards, even with reduced use in other sectors.
Even in moderate dry years, water prices may be high enough to threaten business viability.
FGV stresses that growers have not stood still.
It says 62 per cent of the district’s farmers have upgraded irrigation infrastructure, and in the Mallee the use of pressurised irrigation systems has risen from 61 per cent of irrigated area in 1997 to 98 per cent in 2024.
These investments have delivered water savings, improved salinity outcomes and better water quality.
However, FGV remains concerned about continued reliance on water buybacks, arguing they permanently remove water from production and increase market volatility, particularly for high‑reliability water required by perennial horticulture.
Instead, the group is urging governments to prioritise investment in efficiency and infrastructure, noting that measures such as netting can reduce water use by 10 to 15 per cent while maintaining production.
FGV says the basin plan will only succeed if it recognises that healthy rivers, secure food production and resilient regional communities are all fundamentally linked.
