A DESPERATE grower needs to shift 1,000 strawberry plants before they rot.

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Shaneen Joubert, from Brighton’s Preston Park, has been left with no way to sell her budding crop.

The markets she planned to trade at are closed and she now has a six-week window before the plants fruit and the berries go to waste.

The farming industry has been hit hard by the effects of the lockdown.

Late last month, growers across the country launched a recruitment drive to stop millions of tonnes of crops going to waste.

The British Growers’ Association said farmers need 70,000 workers to stand in for seasonal migrants who are not able to work in the UK due to travel restrictions.

Now, just as the picking season starts, there is a serious labour shortage.

But Shaneen’s problem is slightly different.

She harvests the berries herself on a patch in a charity-run farm Pulborough.

For her, the issue is getting the crop to market. She said: “It’s a problem that will affect all small growers. It’s what we’re all talking about in food-growing circles at the moment.

“I’ve got 1,000 strawberry plants. All being well, that’s 300 kilograms.

“If it weren’t for coronavirus, I’d be selling them at farmer’s markets. But they’re all shut. The thing with strawberries is you need to pick them every day and shift them because they don’t last long.

“With strawberries, you’ve always got to be sure of your route to market – otherwise it’s very stressful. I’m sure I could do it, but it would probably end me.

“If I can’t manage to sell them, all the time and energy I’ve put in now will have been wasted.”

Shaneen is appealing for help. She said she would have to “get creative” after he plans to delver the berries herself were scuppered – partly due to difficulties getting kit delivered amid the pandemic.

She said: “I initially wanted to sell from a vending tricycle but they are too expensive for my little business. I’m only just starting out and I can’t afford one.

“I have been trying to get a bike trailer and a cooler but have not been able to get the cooler delivered, and there are difficulties with this set up too – like making sure the strawberries don’t rattle around and become bruised.”

Shaneen hopes to sell the berries by teaming up with a company that provides vegetable boxes, or a firm offering delivery services.

If you can pair up with Shaneen, or you have a vending bike you can offer her, contact Shan’s Berries at shaneenjoubert@icloud.com.

l At The Argus, we are championing the work of traders during the coronavirus pandemic as part of our #BackingSussexBusiness campaign. We are always interested to hear how the community is coming together in this crisis. If you know of a local business battling to do all it can in these tough times and/or offering support to the local community, please get in touch at laurie.churchman@theargus.co.uk and rose.lock@theargus.co.uk.