A late start to the season has left some New Zealand apple orchards scrambling to find pickers as harvesting reaches its peak, reports Fairfax NZ News.
Harvesting has been compressed into a shorter-than-usual period, which has pushed up demand for experienced staff.
Many foreign backpackers opted to resume their travels rather than wait for harvesting start or to finish, it said.
An early surfeit of small apples has compounded the problem, as it has taken longer for pickers to fill a bin, upon which their pay is based, the article said.
Later varieties Braeburn, Pink Lady and Fuji are yet to be picked.
Pipfruit NZ chairman Ian Palmer told Fairfax NZ News that it had been a challenging year for managing staff.
