Deb Nucifora - Celebrating International Women’s Day

Deb Nucifora became a mango grower after marrying her beloved John 34 years ago, but you’d swear she’d been doing it all her life. “The farm came with the husband,” she laughed. 

Starting with 3,000 trees and a tobacco shed with dirt floors, the Nuciforas now look after 17,000 trees, growing six commercial varieties, as well as conducting trials for the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Perfection Fresh. 

Although their farm has grown significantly over the last 30 years, the heart of the farm’s operations remains a tight-knit collaboration between Deb and John.  

As the business has gotten bigger, Deb says she finds herself increasingly in the office, crunching the numbers, looking at data, compliance, and what infrastructure they should invest in next, but it still wouldn’t be a surprise to see her out on a tractor.  

“There have been times where I was the person doing the spraying, mixing the chemicals, doing the watering. I can do everything on the farm, but as we’ve gotten bigger, administration and compliance has become a bigger part of the job,” Deb told us.  

Deb’s strong and steady contributions to the industry were acknowledged in 2024 as she was named FNQ Grower of the Year.  

Not only is she a regular attendee of the Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) conference, but Deb also stays in regular contact with the association as well as with FNQ growers and Hort Innovation. 

“I don’t have a problem picking up the phone or sending an email. I keep my relationships very open with people, whether they be other growers or organisations so we can find solutions for all mango growers,” she said.  

But sometimes even the strongest souls need a helping hand. In the aftermath of ex-TC Jasper, AMIA appointed Ebony Faichney as an Industry Assistance Officer. Deb was quick to sing Ebony’s praises, saying “it’s so nice to have young people that have got the passion like Ebony coming into the industry.”  

“Although Ebony’s role was about practical support to get people started on the ground or help with grant applications, she was a great emotional support. For me, having another female to come on the farm was immensely appreciated,” Deb said.  

A year on, there is still deep hurt in the region, with Deb going into bat for growers saying more needs to be done to protect growers’ livelihoods. 

“Other industries that lost two weeks of income were given massive money, but with Jasper coming during peak harvest we lost a fifth of our year’s income.”  

“Horticulture was put to the back, to the bottom of the list. It’s not right. It’s not fair.”