Pacific fruit pickers fly into SA to ease worker shortages this citrus season
Posted 4
AprApril 2021 at 9:31am
The first of about 200 Tongan fruit picking workers arrived in Adelaide on Friday on their way to the Riverland. (ABC News)
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The first 200 international fruit-picking workers will head to the Riverland after touching down in Adelaide ahead of the citrus harvest, with their arrival expected to ease critical shortages in the sector.
Key points:
The group is among 1,200 Tongan workers who will head to the Riverland in coming weeks
The government says they are vital to ensure fruit is picked this season
SA citrus growers concern at high cost of Pacific Islander quarantine facility abc.net.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc.net.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It is a clear winner with price and quality when compared to imported oranges
A Melbourne-based wholesale company is expecting the popularity of its Australian-grown seedless Valencia oranges to be high over the coming months.
Louis Melbourne Business Development Manager Nuwan Talpawila says consumer demand for the citrus variety will be at its peak during summer as it is the only domestically-grown orange available at the time. It is a clear winner with price and quality when compared to imported oranges, he said. Even though the wind was more consistent during this growing season the Valencia oranges have not been affected and are generally clean skinned. Our supply partner Venus Citrus have told us the season this year is very similar (in volume) to the previous seasons.