We have all heard about the Indian farmers in Woolgoolga in NSW.
Sikh migrants first began work as farm labourers in NSW’s Woolgoolga. But due to their sheer hardwork, enterprising efforts, the Indian farming community has grown significantly over decades.
According to community’s estimates, 60% of the banana farms in the Coffs Harbour/ Woolgoolga area comprising about 1255 hectares of land are owned by Indian farmers.
Many have taken to blueberries farming too in the region.
But now, the Indian community has spread its wings further and as Dr. Devaki Monani, lecturer at the Australian Catholic University, told SBS Hindi, since last five years, highly skilled migrants who have made Australia home, have taken to farming in Griffith.
“They arrived in the big cities first. But after they failed to gain employment, many moved to regional Australia and started working on the farms. Many highly skilled migrants who started out as farm hands, contractors at the citrus farms, went on to buy the farms and today there is a growing community of Indian farmers in Griffith,” Dr. Monani said.
She credits this to hard work and Indian entrepreneurial mindset. She also pointed out that it is a recent phenomena which has happened in last 5 years. “Indians who have migrated to Australia have good English proficiency, are educated and qualified, have skills to run business. Most of the new Indian farmers in Griffith today are land owners and don’t shy away from working long hours. One of the farmers I met, worked on his farm from 5am till 7pm and has done very well for himself,” she reveals.
