Australian consumers could soon see more vegetables hit their supermarket shelves as international workers flood back into Australia. Backpackers and holiday-makers are returning in full force to the north Queensland town of Bowen, which is a key supplier of Australian vegetables.
According to Vee Jay's Kalfresh chief executive Jamie Jurgens, his produce business was already fully staffed and he would even need to turn away new workers. This is a big shift away from the previous few years, when the industry was facing crippling labor shortages as a result of the pandemic.
Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network north Queensland officer Colette Williams said the influx also stemmed from an ambitious campaign to draw more workers to north Queensland. The Pick Paradise initiative was first launched in September last year to coincide with the region's mango harvest but it was then relaunched in April in the lead up to the winter vegetable harvest.
Source: abc.net.au