The British Columbia Fruit Growers’ Association is once again appealing to locals to consider picking fruit as temporary employment. A similar plea was made earlier in the season, just before the cherry harvest.
The plea is deemed necessary in the wake of a severe labour shortage of foreign workers. Employees from other parts of Canada, such as Quebec, are also thin on the ground due to pandemic-related travel restrictions and overall concerns surrounding COVID-19.
Globalnews.ca quoted Glen Lucas, general manager of BCFGA, as saying: “Apple and pear growers are very concerned about the labour situation this year.”
The BCFGA said if the cherry harvest is any indication, apple and pear growers could face crop losses of up to 20 per cent this year due to the labour shortage. “It’s very significant for growers, because all of their costs are incurred now, except for the picking. And yet they give up all of the revenue on that 20 per cent of the apples,” Lucas said. The BCFGA also warned consumers could be affected.
Source: globalnews.ca