Fruit and veg producers have been under extreme pressure since the pandemic began to fill the gaps in an already short labour market.

Finding pickers has become increasingly tough, with the slowdown of backpackers and closure of borders putting a wall between farmers and their usual labour force.

Coupled with this, farmers have struggled to lure local job-seekers into farms, thanks to tough working conditions and reputational damage to fruit picking as a job.

In a bid to fill labour pneumatic shears shortfalls, imaginative solutions have popped up around the country, such as encouraging school-leavers to fill job positions, educating university students about the jobs available, and even extending working visas.

But no one solution has been successful for every farm. What if you don’t have a student population nearby? Or are facing not just a labour shortage but a skills shortage, too?

Galaxy Group’s Harvester Machinery is the only solution that allows farmers to complete a full harvest successfully with fewer pickers and pickers of different ages and levels of skill.

 

Problem #1 – Labour Shortage

 

For the past year, each state has been struggling to make up for the short-fall of seasonal workers. COVID-19, border closures, and quarantine requirements have dissuaded workers from making the trip, and as a result, the existing labour shortage has worsened.

In some places, a bidding war is underway to secure farm labour. Others are taking a more creative approach. For example, Queensland strawberry growers are offering cash prizes of up to $100,000 in a bid to attract enough local and overseas workers to harvest this year’s crop.

Over the border, the NT government is set to spend $200,000 in support to give businesses up to $1000 per worker for up to 200 workers to pick watermelons and rockmelons.

However, these are short term solutions and, along with heavy paperwork, fail to address the challenge of working with a smaller labour force.

What if you had a harvester machine that allowed you to pick more fruit with less labour? This is the essence of what the Tecnofruit fruit harvesting machine offers.

The Tecnofruit is a multi-tiered fruit picking platform, which enables fruit to be picked from the tree in one pass at different levels. The platform holds four pickers, while the fifth person checks the apples as they go up the conveyor on their way to the collection bin.

The Tecnofruit enables your business to safely and efficiently complete your entire harvest with a team of just five pickers.

Problem #2 – Skills Shortage

 

With labour shortages comes another problem: skills shortages. Thanks to labour shortages, businesses now have less flexibility to pick and choose the best workers for the job.

In some cases, farmers have been forced to turn to the local economy to make up the shortfall in numbers. However, local farm labour is comparatively older and less experienced, compared to international pickers, which leads right back to the double problem of a labour and skills shortage affecting your harvest.

The Technofruit fruit harvesting machine offers a solution. Thanks to its adjustable platforms, ergonomic design, and fruit conveyor belt, the Tecnofruit makes fruit picking more attractive for all ages because it makes the job easier and safer.

The Tecnofruit does away with ladders and picking baskets, and makes the movement between picking and depositing the fruit on the conveyor belt short, smooth, and comfortable, resulting in fewer strains, pains, and injuries.

 

Solve Labour Shortages with Galaxy Group Harvester Machinery

 

Only Contact Galaxy Group offers the best fruit harvesters in New Zealand. Revolutionise your picking operations and order the Tecnofruit today.