We had a big mango season. But on this farm, 40% of the fruit will be wasted

On Saramat "Tou" Ruchkaew's mango farm, everything works.

Highlights: Australia is set to have a successful mango season this year, with between nine and 10 million trays slated to be produced nationwideIndustry still facing COVID-related labor shortagesFarmers seek more flexible visa arrangements to increase workforce and humidity, trying to secure fruit from the trees when they are fully ripe.

But time is running out: Ms. Ruchkaew's farm is operating with less than half the staff she needs.

"Right now we only have 30 people so our fruit is still hanging on the tree," Ms Ruchkaew said.

"And if we had enough personal ones to select, we'd have about 60% now, but we're about 25-30% behind."

The Larger farms in the Northern Territory seem to have picked up enough workers to get the job done, but some smaller or independent farms have missed the entire season.

Ms Ruchkaew says the staffing needs of small farms are often overlooked. (ABC News: Alexandra Alvaro)

A tough mango season

Northern Australian mango growers are having a tough season to transport the fruit to market.

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According to NT Farmers, the peak organization of farmers in the territory, the labor required for the mango season is about 2,000 workers.

At certain times of the season, the number of workers is dropped to 1400, but now the organization thinks it's closer to where it needs to be.

But some farms tell a different story.

< p class="_1g_Rg">Ms Ruchkaew said like other sectors trying to recover from COVID-19, farmers like her are crying out for workers.

"We are at the bottom of the scale because [we are] out of sight, l from the heart," she said.

"People don't know that we also face a big challenge."