Mildura Mayor Jason Modica says the regions are seeking "10,000 people to pick fresh fruit crops" as they struggle to find workers with closed international borders and a state-wide lockdown.
Mr Modica said it had been about 13 months since Mildura saw a positive COVID-19 case stating it was a "difficult line to walk" in ensuring cases remained low but trying to live "in as normal a way as possible".
The Mildura Mayor said he was seeking exemptions from the lockdown to ensure regional Victorians could get back to work and ensure their livelihoods were not drastically affected by the pandemic.