[ad_1]
There are plenty of strawberries to go around this Christmas, but it could be a different story next year.
Stressed strawberry growers across the country have struggled to find workers, harvest and export strawberries, their association says. As some growers struggle to make ends meet, they wonder if they should all sell together and leave the industry.
Producers of most summer fruits have found themselves in a similar situation, having had to find unskilled kiwi labor to replace fruit pickers abroad. Stuff You have heard from growers who say that unless urgent changes are made to the industry, they will either start or not plant for the next season.
They warn that fruit prices will rise next year, and in the worst case, fruits like strawberries, which must be replanted every year, will become increasingly difficult to come by.
READ MORE:
* What is really happening to the price of strawberries?
* Strawberry prices fall 43% due to excess products affecting supermarkets
* Harvesting and export obstacles lead to an excess of strawberries
Strawberry Growers New Zealand CEO Michael Ahern said some growers were struggling and while many would move on, tough decisions needed to be made. He said it was possible for some to leave the industry, especially near cities, as land prices soared.
“On a case-by-case basis, some producers desperately need workers from the Pacific Islands as they cannot keep up with the size of their operations. Others may not go out, but can cut back. Everyone will have to cut their costs, ”he said.
The fruit industry has called for more workers to be allowed to travel to New Zealand. In late November, the government said 2,000 workers would be allowed in the CSR scheme for Pacific Island-based pickers.
But one producer said the 2,000 workers “would barely scratch the surface.” Others said the announcement came too late for the summer fruit industry, such as cherries, nectarines and strawberries.
Instead, the summer harvests have relied on kiwi workers with many orchards and gardens welcoming “anyone they can find.”
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Strawberries are becoming uneconomic for some growers, kiwi growers say.
But the quality of their work is not that high, according to many producers.
“The available people are not in shape. They are working at a third of the rate you would expect, ”said one.
The government offered a $ 100 voucher to Kiwis to fill the gap, along with up to $ 200 per week to help with accommodation.
“These kiwis don’t want to do this job, they come to us under pressure. The kiwis who wanted to do it already were, ”said one grower.
They said that moving “office people” to farms was not working as many proved to be “incompetent”.
The worker shortage was not the only problem plaguing the horticulture industry.
Exporting fruit, especially strawberries with a short shelf life, was difficult due to Covid-19. And the pandemic had also given more power to the two big supermarket chains, the producers said, as there was less competition from abroad and grocery stores and farmers markets closed during closures.
JOHN BISSET / STUFF / Stuff
Farmers markets had to close during closures.
Phil Greig, producer at Strawberry Gardens, said RNZ exporting had become “extremely expensive”, to the point that it was almost unfeasible.
He said the demand for frozen berries or jams was quite low and that high temperatures had caused the strawberry season to start early.
“We are competing against abroad, countries like China are freezing the cheapest strawberries because they do not have the labor costs,” he said.
With supermarkets dropping the price of summer fruit and increasing the cost of staff, several growers said Stuff they were considering retiring at the end of this season.
Strawberries, an annual crop, should be planted around May, which means that farmers’ decisions about the future of strawberry crops should be made in January.
The producers spoken to for this story asked to remain anonymous, fearing repercussions for speaking in public.
