Territorians seem to be too picky for fruit picking jobs, as overseas workers rescue NT mango season

IT’S often been said that a hard day’s work never hurt anyone. The problem for the Territory’s farmers is finding anyone in Australia who actually wants to do it.

• Seasonal workers arrive from Vanuatu to help fill Top End fruit picking jobs
• Critical mango workers set to arrive in the NT from Vanuatu within days after significant hurdles cleared
• NT’s Vanuatu mango picking workforce under threat as Pacific nation yet to sign off on program
• Overseas workforce set to come to Northern Territory mango farmers’ rescue

IT’S often been said that a hard day’s work never hurt anyone.

The problem for the Territory’s farmers is finding anyone in Australia who actually wants to do it.

The arrival of 160 fruit pickers from Vanuatu, with a further 400 to follow, is proof of that. This has been an age old problem in the Top End but this year you would have thought it could be different.

In May, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, this newspaper flagged our fruit and vegetable farming sector was expecting a shortfall of 2500 workers this year.

Many farms normally rely on overseas and seasonal workers but, due to strict travel restrictions, they were looking for more local workers.

Mango workers arrive in the NT from Vanuatu on Thursday, ahead of the Territory mango picking season. They will go into mandatory quarantine for two weeks before heading out to farms. Picture: Che Chorley

MORE ON THE NT MANGO INDUSTRY AMID COVID-19

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Mango farmers pin season hopes on sourcing local workers

So with businesses shut down and the dole queues at record numbers you would have thought there would be people clamouring to get out on the land and earn some money to keep bread on the table.

But no, not in this cosy airconditioned computer age we live in.

Of the thousands of jobs on offer, 200 people applied and, of those, around 20 were locals. But who could blame them when those out of work were getting overly generous JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments.

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It has been a costly exercise but the NT’s agriculture sector and its precious crops have been rescued by the arrival of the overseas workers.

Family is everything to these workers and keeping food on their table makes a hard day’s work in the Top End sun worthwhile.