Plea for talks on pickers as fruit ripens

IT’S time for a broader discussion on primary industry jobs after some fruit growers have been left stranded without enough pickers and fruit has gone to waste, an industry peak body says.

Fruit Growers Tasmania business development manager Phil Pyke said one grower in the South had lost “hundreds of tonnes of fruit” because of a lack of pickers.

It’s estimated that 6500 pickers are needed to pick fruit around the state, with many growers relying on backpackers as a source of seasonal labour.

“That number could be higher next season with new plantings coming online and major expansions in orchards, so there is and will be higher demand for labour than what can be supplied,” Mr Pyke said.

“The issue of dwindling picker numbers is across the state, we have one major independent grower in the South who has lost hundreds of tonnes of fruit because of a lack of pickers. The grower needs 80 workers a day.

“Yet we have some growers who are fine with their picker numbers.”

One, a Derwent Valley cherry grower, eased the risk of fruit being left on trees by turning to the local Afghan and Nepalese communities to bring in the crop.

Styx River Cherries manager Jeff Webster said he realised during the year that picking would become an issue this season and began looking to employ members of Tasmania’s migrant communities.

“We were proactive six months ago securing workers. We turned to the local Afghan and Nepalese communities, who are great workers bringing in the harvest,” Mr Webster said.

Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the State Government is working closely with Fruit Growers Tas- mania and others to address the issue.

“We provided funding to establish the TasAg jobs portal [tasagjobs.com.au] and this portal is proving successful in linking producers across various agriculture and aquaculture sectors with job seekers,” Mr Rockliff said.

Tasmania’s biggest strawberry grower, David Jennings, who trades as family-owned DM Jennings & Sons, near Cygnet, is urgently seeking pickers. To apply contact djen nings sons@hotmail.com.

The problem has been partly blamed on the Federal Government increase on taxes paid by backpackers, who often take on the picking jobs.

Mr Pyke also said the Government’s Seasonal Work Incentives program, which allows unemployed people to earn up to $5000 and still receive their full welfare payments has had a “terrible uptake”.

He estimates only a few hundred are taking part nationally and Tasmania has 15 people in the trial.