The price of kumara has almost doubled this season and growers warn it could climb even higher as the industry tackles what's being labelled a "kumara crisis".
Kaipara kumara farmers say it's their worst season in years because of wet weather and a shortage of workers.
"To actually get people to turn up to work and carry on working has actually been quite a challenge," kumara grower Andre De Bruin told 1 NEWS.
The industry usually relies on young overseas visitors on working visas, but growers say a cutback on immigration has led to issues.
The immigration department says there haven't been cutbacks and it works closely with employers on solutions like the recognised seasonal employer scheme.
However, the kumara growers say running such schemes can be expensive and they can't get local workers either.
"Turning up to work is a big issue, staying at work is a big issue, and once they get a little bit of money in their back pocket they don't seem to want to come back till they need it again," Mr Suckling says.
The shortfall is now being felt by the consumer with a kilogram of kumara now costing around $9 and rising.
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