Tough times for growers in the strawberry patch

The past two years have been difficult with no visitors, no new RSE workers allowed in and those that were here were getting tired.

“Things are changing now. We are going to get backpackers in, we will get tourists in, the RSE’s are coming back,” he told Hort News.

Whether there will be enough in time "will be interesting", Rakich says.

Some under cover growers are already picking and the season will be well under way next month (October).

“I am personally concerned there is plenty of other work for people and I can only offer parttime work. I don’t have full-time employment for them,” he says.

Rakich believes many smaller growers will be in the same boat. He already knows he has lost good workers from last year as the best ones are snapped up by full-time employers.

“I rely on local workers, really the people who have been with me for a long time that keep coming back,” he explains. “Usually they find other family members, other people they know who want to work. That has always been how I’ve got workers. But things are changing.”

Rakich says the RSE scheme is not feasible for smaller growers. But for the wider industry, SGNZ is talking with HortNZ about the RSE scheme, having the cap lifted so there are more coming in early enough.

SGNZ has about 180 members. The industry has shrunk a little. Rakich says there’s about 11.5 million plants this year as compared to 12-12.5 million in the last couple of years.

“We haven’t quite got all the numbers in yet. We have come back a bit, lost a few growers. A few growers this year have cut back because of labour. They probably had problems last year getting labour.

“I don’t want to see it drop any more. At least maybe stay there or increase a little bit. But you’ve still got to sell your fruit and you still have to pick it.”

Rakich sees the industry moving more towards under cover but it will take time.

Growers that grow under cover, most of whom also do hydroponics, can extend their season – some go to May or even June. They will be finishing picking as they plant for the new season.

Those growing in the ground have to prepare their soil which can mean pulling out plants as early as January in case of a wet March or April.

So Rakich says more growers are growing under tunnels and he sees it as the future of the industry. He says the only problem is the cost of setting up.

“That initial capital expense is huge. So, for a big grower to change everything over… it could be millions of dollars. They have got to work out whether it is worth it.”

Rakich believes it’s the way to go but it will take a while to change over.

The big talk overseas is mechanical pickers, he says. A number of different companies are developing robots to pick strawberries, but there’s still some issues. Speed is one and they have to pick ripe fruit.

“It will happen, because there’s a lot of companies investing money to do it because the labour problem is a worldwide thing.”

Homeward Bound

Rakich says exports are not a huge part of the NZ strawberry industry now.

“Covid, transport, rising costs etc have had an effect so the amount exported is certainly down. That of course puts more pressure on the local market,” he told Hort News.

“The last few years with Covid have been tough. There has not been much export and there’s been a lot of fruit on the local market at times.”

He believes it will take a while for exports to come back.

“Our industry body has been trying to get access to Vietnam. We have been working that for three years. There’s a good market there,” Rakich adds.

“But there’s a process to go through with MPI and with their equivalent in Vietnam and hopefully we will have our documents ready to go to Vietnam soon. That will open up a new market.”

NZ strawberries are exported to about 18 other countries according to SGNZ’s website but the main markets are in Asia.