WA's largest blueberry grower is investing in AI, automation and machine harvesting as it expands production.
The business says automation can help reduce labour costs, but will not replace a need for workers.
Western Berry plans to triple its production and explore AI-guided pruning.
Western Australia's largest blueberry grower is turning to artificial intelligence and autonomous technology to reduce labour costs and ease the challenge of finding enough workers during the peak harvest period.
Earlier this year, Australia's food producers raised concerns about the federal government's slower visa processing times and limits on working holiday maker numbers, saying the changes could reduce access to seasonal labour.
Western Berry's blueberry operation is 100 kilometres north of Perth and spans 120 hectares.
This year it will produce just under 1,500 tonnes of blueberries bound for supermarkets across Australia and Asia.
Its owners, the Kwiecien-Fisher family, are in a significant expansion phase and hope to triple production in the coming years.
But producing more fruit will also require more workers, something many horticultural businesses say is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive.
The family hopes innovations like driverless tractors, machine harvesting and eventually artificial intelligence will help ease the challenges.
Operations manager Marek Kwiecien-Fisher said the company was trialling autonomous technology as much as it could on the property.
