Coronavirus is expected to force hundreds of thousands of Australians out of work, but farmers are already being inundated with pleas from the unemployed.

Key points: City dwellers are cold-calling farmers directly looking for jobs

City dwellers are cold-calling farmers directly looking for jobs Travel bans may prevent Pacific Islands workers from taking up their annual fruit-picking jobs

Travel bans may prevent Pacific Islands workers from taking up their annual fruit-picking jobs Some farmers face a dilemma whether to employ backpackers or local workers

Picking fruit and vegetables is hard, manual labour which for decades has been unappealing to most Australians.

As a result, agriculture has struggled to attract workers but in response to the pandemic, city dwellers from a range of backgrounds are cold-calling farmers in search of their next pay cheque.

Victorian Farmers' Federation vice president Emma Germano said farmers had been contacted by everyone from backpackers to hospitality workers, pilots and tradies.

"We've been saying, 'how do we make ag sexy again?' And it probably just did that overnight by itself," she said.

"We're talking about people who are highly skilled in some areas and used to an epic wage, and now they're looking for work on farms."

Newly unemployed workers from cities and regional centres are showing interest in harvesting cauliflower. ( ABC Gippsland: Peter Somerville )

Farmer and contractor, Luke Felmingham usually has one or two work enquiries each month.

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But after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced businesses would have to close due to the pandemic, he fielded 15 enquiries in one day.

"We've just hired a guy from Melbourne. He's a diesel mechanic, he's an apprentice, and he's had his hours reduced," Mr Felmingham explained.

'Glimmer of hope'

In the Top End, the Northern Territory Farmers Association chief executive, Paul Burke, said his office received nearly 1,200 emails in 48 hours from job seekers who normally worked in hospitality.

"We do think our industry does have an opportunity to be able to provide a glimmer of hope for some of those people who have lost their jobs," he said.

But there are downsides to the sudden interest, including a lack of accommodation for people willing to relocate and the risk of spreading the virus.

And while there might be a sudden surge in interest in farm work, there are also fears there won't be enough seasonal workers to pick winter's crops such as apples and oranges.

Robert Hoddle checks oranges growing on trees at his Gunnedah farm. ( ABC Rural: Amelia Bernasconi )

For the past decade, a Tongan family have travelled to Australia to spend four months picking Robert Hoddle's oranges at Gunnedah, in New South Wales. But this year they're unlikely to make it due to travel bans.

"We're going to have to look outside that now," Mr Hoddle explained.

"And unfortunately, there are so many people that have lost their jobs in Australia and we'd like to hope we can help out in that regard. Some of those really motivated people … maybe they'll have a go at this."

It will mean visa-holders now need to compete with local workers, which poses an "ethical dilemma" for farmers like Ms Germano.

"I've made a contract now with those (foreign) employees who are already here and who have been looking after me on farm and picking my produce for the last months and years," she said.

"So it's a difficult dilemma to work out now where our loyalties need to lie as a nation."

Hope for 'positives'

With plenty of work available in the bush, farmers like Emma Germano say many of those looking for work will already have skills required.

"Physical fitness, the ability to follow a process … a willingness to learn, the ability to keep safety in mind, as well as things like mechanical skills and mathematical skills."

Emma Germano says farm jobs are now in high demand, with thousands out of work in Australia's cities and regional centres. ( ABC Gippsland: Peter Somerville )

Ms Germano said she was "devastated" for people who had lost jobs but also hoped there were positives to come out of the crisis.

"It makes me really emotional to talk about the silver linings but we have literally been saying as an agriculture sector for the past 10 years, the problem with Australia is that it never went hungry, the problem with Australia is that nothing bad ever happened and no one ever questioned where their food comes from.

"But I think to celebrate now that people are turning to Australian agriculture and Australian farmers for food security, it's more than bittersweet. It's something that I never imagined was actually possible."