News site abc.net.au reports that more than 1,400 job seekers have registered their interest to work on one of the 12 farms that have signed up.
Eighty-three per cent of Queensland's strawberries are grown in the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay regions.
Farmers say they need 6,000 to 8,000 pickers and packers for the peak season between now and September.
Just ten years ago, 90 per cent of the workforce were locals. Now it is mainly backpackers and the industry hopes to push the pendulum back to local pickers and packers.
With uncertainty over the backpacker tax potentially impacting the pool of working holiday makers, locals could prove crucial for the strawberry industry.
