Producing, Picking & Packing a $70 million Territory Industry

The Territory’s melon industry contributes to more than 20 percent of Australia’s production and around 75,000 tonnes of melons are due to be picked locally in the coming months.

Territory Melon growers started planting seedlings last month, with the harvest season running from the start of the dry season until October.

Our local sweet melon industry includes rockmelon, watermelon and honey dew melons with a number of farms spread between the Big Rivers region through to Central Australia.

The Northern Territory Government’s efforts to support the melon industry are also bearing fruit, with overseas workers arriving in the regions ahead of harvest season.

Around 650 workers are involved in picking, packing, sorting and logistics each harvest, and the additional workers will help support the Territory’s skilled horticultural workforce.

Just under 20 workers have arrived from Timor Leste this month, with around 40 more due to touch down in April under the Australian Government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.

The Territory Government has also worked to ensure the inclusion of 24 new occupations in the Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement (NT DAMA), which includes lower skilled workers for the agriculture and aquaculture sector.

To find out more about the sweet melon industry in the Territory, head to: https://nt.gov.au/industry/agriculture/food-crops-plants-and-quarantine/fruit-crops/sweet-melons

Harvest Trail is the agriculture industry’s jobseeker site dedicated to putting workers in touch with farmers.

Find work now: https://jobsearch.gov.au/harvest