Berry prices skyrocket while farmers get creative to lure workers We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Advertisement The price of berries has skyrocketed after a cool summer, while farmers are so desperate to attract workers amid international border closures, they are offering cash prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Blueberries are selling for up to $12 in Brisbane amid a shortage. The price of a punnet of blueberries has soared to up to $12 in Brisbane in recent weeks, while strawberries cost up to $8. Working holiday makers once picked up to 80 per cent of Queensland’s strawberries, but international border closures have shut out backpackers and other migrant workers.