Free soil health workshop – this Thursday!

Availability of Banana Workers

The Commonwealth Government’s recent announcement to restart the Seasonal Worker Program and Pacific Labour Scheme is welcome news for the banana industry and follows correspondence from ABGC and other peak industry bodies for urgent action on worker access.

The initiative will allow banana farmers to employ Pacific and Timorese workers in locations where there is a shortage of available Australian workers.

Workers coming into Australia under the program will be required to meet stringent quarantine and health requirements to protect the health and safety of Australians.

ABGC has asked the Queensland Government to take steps to participate in the initiative to help fill labour shortages for banana growers.

Rollout of the initiative is urgently needed to address predicted future workforce shortages on banana farms.

Contact Leanne Erakovic, ABGC Executive Officer, on 07 3278 4786 or info@abgc.org.

Volunteers required for bunch tagging project

Tie Up Farming is looking for interested growers to participate in a project aimed at developing a banana bunch tagging system for yield mapping and forecasting.

This project is part of a larger cross-industry project – Multi-scale Monitoring Tools for Managing Australian Tree Crops: Phase 2 – funded through Hort Innovation by the federal Rural R&D for Profit Scheme. 

As part of the project, Tie Up Farming is implementing their Farming Software Solution which will enable growers to manage their farming operations from the paddock through to the packing shed. More info here. The agribusinesses involved will enjoy both software and hardware implemented on their farm free of charge, until the end 2021 when the project ends. Three growers are needed so places are limited.

Please contact Roei Yaakobi (CEO of Tie Up Farming) on 1300 944 318 if you are interested or require further information. This project will require farm visits (COVID permits).