Australian Ginger Growers Association president Anthony Rehbein told opposition politicians including Shadow Agriculture Minister John Cobb in Bundaberg that Biosecurity Australia was risking introducing the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis if it only relied on Fijian growers to eradicate it.
"The nematode cannot be eliminated unless there are nematode-free areas and the soil is fumigated with methyl bromide," Mr Rehbein said.
"There are major flaws in the approach Biosecurity Australia is taking by saying if Fijian farmers use clean seed and/or hot water treatments and crop rotations, they can import fresh ginger into Australia. That is just not acceptable. There is no way these farm practices will be enough to stop the nematodes."
The Australian Ginger Growers Association represents the nation's 45 growers who represent a $14 million farmgate and a $100m processing business.
Most of Australia's ginger growers operate between Bundaberg and the Sunshine Coast and in the Lockyer Valley.