Mango growers plan to harvest at night, using robots to beat the heat

Picking mangoes in the Northern Territory is hard work.

With the harvest season preceding the rainy season, workers have to struggle against scorching heat, high humidity and sticky fruit sap that can burn their skin.

And in recent years, many growers have faced increasing pressure to find workers to pick their crops.

But some farmers and researchers are trying to find solutions to the industry's challenges.

More growers are harvesting at night

As the Northern Territory mango season winds down, it's likely that more fruit than ever will have been picked at night this year.

"This means that we can reap more fruits in a limited time", said Marie Piccone, Managing Director of Manbulloo , which began night harvests for the first time this year.

"And the mangoes aren't just hanging on to the tree; they will fall if we don't join them in time," she says.

As one of the largest producers in the region, Manbulloo has significant quantities of fruit to pick during a busy harvest period - sometimes as short as four to six weeks.

Piñata Farms has been picking mangoes at night for years. (ABC Rural: Daniel Fitzgerald)

A few other growers picked everything e harvested them at night for years - mainly to avoid a problem known as "browning under the skin", which affects Honey Gold mangoes more than other varieties and becomes a problem when the fruit is picked during the heat of day.

But Ms Piccone said Manbulloo harvests their Kensington Pride and R2E2 varieties day and night, as long as the temperature is below 38 degrees.

"We have very expensive harvesting machines, and [night harvests] mean we can use a machine for several hours of the day," she said.

"It also means it's cooler for people who work here at night, [which] increases their productivity and comfort."

Beat the heat

One ​​of Manbulloo's mango pickers, Moses Skeva agreed.

"[The night harvest] is good. It's better than the day [the harvest] because the day is too hot,” he said.

Moses Skeva, a seasonal worker from Ni-Vanuatu, says he prefers picking mangoes at night. (ABC Rural: Daniel Fitzgerald)

Mr. Skeva said it was his first year picking mangoes at night, with shifts running from around 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Despite the Northern Territory heat , Mr. Skeva said he prefers to pick mangoes rather than other crops like grapes, bananas, tomatoes or kiwis in cooler climates.

"It's hot [in the Northern Territories], but it's ok. Because we come to work to have some money to take home... to help my family...