Seasonal workers arrive for mango harvest

Recently, more than 300 Pacific Island seasonal workers arrived in the Top End to support Territory farmers during this year’s mango harvest.

The Northern Territory is Australia’s largest grower of mangoes, producing around 52% of the national crop with a farm gate production value of around $128.8 million.

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Territory farmers have struggled to find workers for the 2021 harvest. As a result, many local businesses have utilised the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme to bring overseas workers to the Territory.

In August, 151 agricultural workers from Vanuatu arrived in Darwin to bolster the mango harvest workforce. The following month, an additional 170 workers from Samoa arrived in Darwin to help further ease critical workforce shortages across the sector.

All Pacific Island workers were required to undertake 14 days of supervised quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience in Howard Springs before undertaking work across Top End farms.

Overseas and skilled migration complements the Territory’s ongoing development of workforce capacity through training and professional development.

The Northern Territory Government continues to work with agricultural employers, businesses and industry to support their workforce needs. This includes overseas migration when skills needs cannot be met locally.

Employers interested in recruiting workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme should visit Palm Scheme website for further information.