2007-04-25
Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
E1
Calgary
Agriculture - B.C. fruit growers facing a shortage in apple and cherry pickers expect to double the number of temporary workers from Mexico this year.
At the same time, however, they are emphasizing efforts to develop local sources of labour.
The $130-million-a-year industry is facing yet another severe shortage of pickers.
In past years, it has mostly been apples that have fallen to the ground or been picked too late, but more recently, cherries are also going to waste.
Glen Lucas, general manager of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association, estimates that some 1,700 workers are needed for the apple picking season between September and October.
About 700 of these will be filled by the growers themselves, he estimates, leaving another 1,000 pickers to be hired.
He said that for the cherry picking season, between July and August, some 1,200 pickers and 1,200 sorters will be needed.
foreign workers, Fruit picking
British Columbia
English