These watermelons are taking a little longer to grow due to fires, with heat still on for harvest workers

Central Australia’s largest melon farm is ramping up its summer harvest, but yields have been affected by nearby bushfires this year.

Manager Paul McLaughlin said the harvest had started off well at Desert Springs farm, about 350 kilometres north of Alice Springs, but a fire which burned near the property in November had caused some issues.

“There was like an ash layer over the melon leaves, that’s why we’ve got very funny maturity with our melons, because it slowed down the photosynthesis on some of the plants,” he said.

“It hasn’t affected the flavour, it’s just slower maturing … but now that we’ve had rain, it’s going to look better.”

Mr McLaughlin said he would normally load a couple of hundred trucks worth of watermelons, but this year’s yield was down by up to 15 per cent on last year’s harvest.

He said the melons would mostly be sold in Adelaide and Melbourne, but some would go to Sydney.

Karaoke helps get the job done

The farm employs more than 35 harvest workers, including some backpackers.

Many of the workers are regulars from East Timor, who come back to work at the farm each season.

Seasonal worker Mariano Prchecodaconceicao said picking heavy watermelons on 40 degree summer days was a hot, hard job, but the workers were motivated and support each other.

“Some of us we bring a speaker for karaoke, so we can make ourselves happy, because we are far from our family,” he said.

“If you feel tired, someone makes fun, makes you happy, then your tired is gone.”

This year the Northern Territory signed a four-year Strategic Partnership Agreement to boost business and trade with Timor-Leste.

East-Timorese farm worker Nato Sarmnnto said the partnership was important for the two jurisdictions.

“In terms of the economic [benefit] … it’s increased a lot when Timorese people come in to work in Australia,” he said.

“It’s a good thing to get money to support the family back home, but another thing is that I can learn how to reach my capacity in agriculture.

“Australia is a really different agricultural system than East Timor. When one day I retire, I can implement change in my country, especially in my hometown … give input to the government, to create a good condition for our agriculture and develop our culture.”