According to the National Farmers' Federation, Phase Two of the pilot scheme will recruit up to 2400 employees from Pacific Island nations to fill chronic labour shortages on Australian horticultural farms.

Phase One of the scheme, granting temporary visas under a Federal Government-regulated program, saw 56 seasonal workers from Tonga and Vanuatu hit-the-ground earlier this year.

They worked their way through the specified pilot regions of Swan Hill and Robinvale, Victoria, Griffith NSW, and Mundubbera, Queensland.

Phase Two is being expanded to include all horticultural regions across Australia.

NFF president David Crombie praised the Federal Government for "having the vision to adopt our Workforce from Abroad Employment Scheme proposal".

"Horticultural growers have been watching their produce rot season after season," Mr Crombie said.

"On average, it costs growers $100,000 per crop per year in lost production – in some cases as high as $250,000.

"That's a crippling blow to them, the $7 billion-a-year horticulture sector, Australia's domestic food supply and our export markets (worth $1 billion-a-year).

"While we're always encouraging Australians to take up the 22,000 jobs on offer, they’ve gone unfilled for far too long.

"So this is one way of arresting the jobs crisis. In the Pacific Islands we have a ready, willing and able workforce happy to make the trek into regional Australia to fill these positions.

"And Australian farmers are welcoming them with open arms."

Farmers eligible for the scheme must be committed to best practice in delivering skills and excellence, working conditions and human resource management. Farmers also pay the travel expenses of their Pacific Island employees.

"The remuneration each seasonal employee receives is at Australian market rates, far exceeding what they can earn at home – representing a boost for them, their families and their local economies," Mr Crombie said.

"The experience they gain from working alongside the world's best fruit and vegetable producers is a vital building block for economic and social development in Pacific Island countries."

* Expressions of Interest from labour hire companies and horticultural producers for Phase Two are open now and close on 6 August 2009. Click here for more information.