AU: Blueberry growers worried about threat from Chile

Blueberry growers in Australia say they're worried what Chilean imports of the fruit will do to the domestic market.

A free trade agreement between Australia and Chile came into effect in March.The secretary of the Australian Blueberry Growers Association, Ridley Bell, says the Australian industry can't compete, because we have the highest rates of pay for blueberries in the world.

"It'll impact on our growers because we can't compete with their labour rates," he says.

"Our labour rates are several times higher than the Chilean day rates."When you look at a crop like blueberries, it's very very labour intensive.

"It's all hand harvested, hand packed, all pruning, everything's labour".

Source: abc.net.au