Forecasts show that there is no short term end for Australia's horticulture labour shortages Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) says while the horticulture industry will suffer significantly from labour shortages, there are some opportunities from high domestic demand. A senior industry economist at ABARES, Charley Xia, told this week's Outlook 2021 conference that there are two key factors driving up prices; production affected by workforce challenges and retail demand. "Retail prices of fruit and vegetables have stayed quite high compared to the past five-year average in each of the four quarters (of the year)," he said. "The pandemic forced many Australians to stay at home and the closure of borders. This resulted in reduced labour supply for the sector. While seasonal conditions improved in most growing regions, especially for those in New South Wales and Queensland, there were significant issues in harvesting that produce in order to meet that increased demand. With harvests now moved across to the southern growing regions, during summer and autumn, we are forecasting production losses."