Due to the biggest mango farm being operated in the area, Katherine traditionally welcomes hundreds of the thousands of seasonal workers deployed in the NT each year.

However, assistance this year is proving to be more challenging than ever before.

For years, NT Farmers have been pushing for a secure quarantine facility at Bladin Point but with the Territory Government yet to declare an outcome for the possibility, NT Farmers have suggested the Howard Springs facility as a second option.

"We currently don't have a pathway to bring seasonal workers into Australia, there is no defined place we can quarantine them and that needs to be addressed," NT Farmers CEO, Paul Burke said.

"We know there is capacity available at Howard Springs, the issue there is the inter-government agreement between the Federal Government and Northern Territory Government is for repatriating Australians.

"But that facility is not at capacity so we think we should be able to bring people into Howard Springs if Bladin Point is no longer an option."

The Katherine Times can confirm the NT Government are currently discussing the use of these facilities but a decision is yet to be formulated.

NT Farmers recently embarked on a major marketing campaign and recruitment drive for the melon industry with the aim of welcoming 250 workers, but only 67 were secured.

"We know we're going to be under a lot of pressure this year for the workforce. Backpacker numbers are at all time lows," Mr Burke said.

"We brought in 362 workers last year, and in a normal year, we bring in anywhere up to 700 to 800 seasonal workers to get our mango crop off.

"Timor-Leste is unavailable to us at the moment because of the COVID outbreak there so we're looking at Vanuatu and Samoa at this stage.

"If we don't have seasonal workers, there isn't a fallback position of a pool of workforce."

Not only will the lack of employment numbers cause a financial strain for Territory farmers, but it has already begun to take a toll on their mental health.

"The stresses around having enough workers is playing on people's mental health, they can't find a solution themselves so they are very stressed," Mr Burke said.

"From a financial point of view, they only get one opportunity a year to pick their fruit so it will have severe detrimental effects on their ability to be able to operate as a business."

Mr Burke said all the NT Farmers are asking is for an expedited decision making process from the government so a clear pathway is available.

"We're not asking for anything over and above that. The industry is prepared to commit reasonable funds for quarantine expenses," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: