General
Strawberry prices could rise as farmers reduce crops amid COVID-19 labour shortage
Farmers are slashing the size of strawberry crops or not planting at all out of fear fruit will rot on the ground amid a picker shortage that is expected to jack up prices at the supermarket.
Key points:
- About 7,000 people are needed to harvest Queensland’s strawberry crop this winter
- COVID-19 travel restrictions have resulted in a major shortfall of available labour
- Farmers are calling on students to consider working while studying online
Travel restrictions due to COVID-19 have meant a massive shortfall in farm labour, usually made up of working holidaymakers or backpackers.
They pick 80 per cent of fruit in Australia, Queensland Strawberry Growers Association president Adrian Schulz said.
In the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg…
Continue Reading
-
General21 hours agoFour escape injury after jumping from three-storey unit on fire in Newcastle
-
Noosa News20 hours agoGippsland vegetable farm accused of underpaying migrant workers
-
Noosa News21 hours agoThe Best Things to Do in Brisbane This New Year’s Eve
-
Noosa News9 hours agoAlternative pathways to university explained