THE cost of agricultural labour in China has been valued at the equivalent of $200 a person a month.
And the Chinese workers receive just one day off a fortnight.
Fruit Growers Victoria general manager John Wilson said he obtained the information from a Chinese delegate at the World Food Fair in Paris.
The figures mean companies such as SPC pay about 20 times as much for labour as their Asian competition.
SPC general manager Nigel Garrard said employment in Australia included extra costs such as superannuation, payroll tax and WorkSafe premiums.
"When you're competing with $200 a month, you can't compete with them by doing same things they are," Mr Garrard said.
Investing in processing and packaging technology helped to keep the cost down and enabled packaging which gave brand differentiation, he said.
Mr Garrard said the low cost of overseas labour meant companies like SPC had to be smart about which sections of the market they chose to compete head-to-head with the Chinese in.
"The Chinese are good where there is a high labour input, but if not, they're not as competitive," Mr Garrard said.
"We're more than happy to compete in larger can sizes where we can automate."
Mr Wilson said he had also been told by a Chinese delegate the country did not produce enough fruit and vegetables to supply their domestic market, and only exported to keep their premium markets.
