Advertisement No state government has come to the table with a plan to bring foreign fruit pickers safely into Australia despite warnings of food shortages and price rises because of a severe shortage of workers. Just 355 unemployed Australians have joined a federal government program that will see them reimbursed up to $6000 for costs incurred from relocating to take on a short-term agricultural job. Fruit and vegetable growers are warning of price rises because of labour shortages. Credit:Dean Sewell Farmers in Victoria alone estimate they need 26,000 workers within weeks to pick the summer crops that are ripening now. The national cabinet decided on December 11 that if the states submitted health protocols outlining measures such as on-farm quarantine and restrictions on interstate travel, the federal government would approve visas for seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands. But federal Agricultural Minister David Littleproud says no plans have been submitted so far.