Locally grown strawberries are set to appear in Tasmanian supermarkets and fruit and vegetable outlets soon as the harvest of the 2023-24 crop gets underway.
Berryworld, which operates a berry farm in Orielton, has already begun picking strawberries and will soon start harvesting raspberries.
A 30-minute drive from Hobart, the Orielton farm was previously used for agricultural purposes and was redeveloped for raspberry production in 2019.
The upcoming harvest will mark one of the first dozen since the inaugural specialty crop was harvested in autumn 2020.
Other growers including Costa Berries, which operates farms in Sulphur Creek, Devonport, Wesley Vale and Dunorlan, have also started picking strawberries and will begin harvesting blackberries and blueberries next month.
The Tasmanian berry industry employs thousands of people, with the workforce consisting of a mix of seasonal migrant workers from the Pacific Islands, locals, working holidaymakers and backpackers.
