Peterson Mariango, 28, from the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, has been running as a temporary in the Northern Territory since 2018.
He said the seasonal painter program had allowed him to have a solid income, while the opportunities to paint in his home country were drying up in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Back home, there’s no genuine work,” he told SBS News.
“There are no jobs at COVID-19 at the moment and the only source of income we can recover at home is seasonal work.
“Tourists are no longer available.”
Mariango says the program has provided him and his circle of relatives with a stable income, while paintings in Vanuatu have dried up amid the pandemic.Aneeta Bhole
Mr. Mariango as a collector at Darwin Fruit Farms.
It is one of 16 Pacific who remained before the seasonal employee program closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s hard work, especially in the heat of Darwin’s sun,” he said.
“But every two weeks I can send cash to my family and to them.
READ ALSO: Vanuatu staff to harvest mangoes in NT despite Australia’s ban on coronavirus travel
“I’m also very informed about agriculture, from mangoes to bananas to watermelons and pumpkins, I’m very informed.I’ll revel in it and share with my friends at home.
Mark Smith is the estate manager and said that without Mariango and the rest of the Pacific staff who stayed, it would be near the end of the harvest season.
Mariango (right) works for Mark Smith (left) at Darwin Fruit Farms.Aneeta Bhole
“The government has allowed us to extend our visas for our seasonal staff for an additional 12 months, which has helped us in our routine,” he said.
“But if we don’t have more time for mango season, we’re going to have problems.”
For Darwin Fruit Farms, the mango season will begin in October.
READ ALSO: COVID-19: Federal government considers converting agricultural workers’ visas to counter restrictions
But Mr. Smith said that to address labor shortages in the industry, nearly 2,000 employees will want to be shipped across the territory over the next season.
“Everything we can achieve at that time will come in handy, we’re looking for paintings with some of the other farmers,” he said.
“Honey Gold mango is a newer variety than KP [Kensington Pride], so it will be a credit to us; when they finish opting for the KP, maybe we can locate some workers.But I don’t think that’s the case, enough.”
Mr. Mariango says he’ll bring whatever he brings from the estate on the island of Tanna, where he’s from.
Mr. Smith said it would be wonderful to use space, but past efforts “don’t work.”
“Australians don’t need to paint on farms, it’s too difficult,” he said.
“It’s even hard to get up here in the morning in this weather, let them bring fruit and walk miles to pick them up.
“The local population doesn’t seem to be interested at all.”
Mr. Mariango, one of 16 Pacific employees who remained there before the program closed in March due to COVID-19.
NT Farmers Association CEO Paul Burke said much more staff will be needed in the coming months and not just for mango season.
“Melons, grapes, cherries, berries, strawberries, diversity in Australia is huge and each and every industry is starting to feel the pressure,” he said.
READ MORE: Fears about stranded refugees as the emergence of coronavirus in Papua New Guinea increases
“We know that we are running out of another 30,000 to 40,000 people in the next 12 months and that those positions will not come from the Australians, we know, so we want to push this project forward.”
The federal government reinstated the seasonal employee program in August to address labor shortages in the agricultural industry.
In September, 162 Vanuatu employees will travel to the Northern Territory as part of a test of the program and will begin operating on farms after approximately 40 weeks in Howard Springs.
THE NT Farmers Association, Paul Burke, says this is a smart start, however, more staff will be needed in long-term fruit harvesting seasons.
Burke said the test would charge the Farmers Association $2,500 according to the user for quarantine and nearly $100,000 for a charter flight to Vanuatu.
But, he added, this is the amount that those who have to leave fruit in the trees will charge.
Pacific Minister Alex Hawke said the benefits would also go beyond farming and promotion between Australia and its closest neighbors.
“Australia’s job mobility programs in the Pacific are a vital pillar of our economic progress in the Pacific,” he said.
The mango harvesting season begins in October at Darwin Fruit Farms.
“They are offering tangible benefits to Pacific and Timorese staff and their communities, adding the opportunity to earn an Australian income, expand new skills and send a budget home.”
The approach of the programme in our circle of Pacific relatives and in Timor-Leste reflects Australia’s special and lasting relations with our neighbours and our continued interest in their security, stability, prosperity and sovereignty.
“Economies and livelihoods have been affected by COVID-19, and labour mobility will play a key role in supporting economic recovery in Australia and the Pacific.”