NT mango farmers worried inexperienced workforce may harm crops

TERRITORY mango farmers are concerned the lack of experience in their improvised workforce may harm crops in the upcoming mango harvesting season.

Territory mango farmers are concerned the lack of experience in their improvised workforce may harm crops in the upcoming mango harvesting season. Picture: iStock

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TERRITORY mango farmers are concerned the lack of experience in their improvised workforce may harm crops in the upcoming mango harvesting season.

Local mango farmers are unable to access international employees, who make up the majority of Territory’s mango workforce, through the Seasonal Worker Program due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

Jenko’s Mangoes part owner and part managing director Corey Jenkins explained his picking team typically consisted of workers from Vanuatu who had years of experience with the company.

This year Jenko’s Mangoes and other farmers will be forced to employ inexperienced pickers. Mr Jenkins said he was worried for his crops, a concern he said was shared among all of the Territory’s mango farmers.

“The hardest thing is the picking because with pickers takes a lot of years to get your eye,” he said.

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“Picking is a big worry. You need to have experienced people that know how to select and know what they’re looking for because you only get one chance of picking. If you take it off too early, it’s knackered.

“It has to be at the right sugar levels, the right indicators and everything, and that’s where everyone’s going to be in a world of hurt.”

Primary Industry and Resources Minister Paul Kirby said the NT Government was working with the NT Farmers Association to provide support in securing the workforces for this year’s harvest, and exploring other labour possibilities.

“It is currently not possible to access seasonal workers from outside Australia,” he said. “Despite this, the Territory government is continuing to work very closely with the federal government at both ministerial and departmental level to examine visa and quarantine arrangements for potential opportunities to source workers.”

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Mr Jenkins still hoped it was still possible to see his Vanuatuan employees — who had become part of the family — back on the farm this year.

“We’re getting phone calls directly from the Vanuatuans from Vanuatu asking ‘When can we come back, can we come over this year?’” he said.

“The whole point for them is you get the same ones back every year so they know your operation, they know your shed, they know your property, they know what you want and how you want it.”

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