Fruit and vegetable growers say they aren't seeing higher returns despite the fact consumers are paying more for produce.
The price of food surged 1.4 per cent in the three months to December, according to the latest Consumer Price Index figures.
Fruit was most responsible for the rise, with prices jumping nearly 16 per cent.
But Peter Petersen, from the Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Organisation, says it hasn't been apparent at the farm gate.
"The growers have no ability to actually set the prices, so the prices are set by the consumer at the end of the day, or the markets and retailers," he says.
"So they can't set the prices, they take what they are given.
"It's a sad reality at the moment, but something we'd like to see addressed in the future though."
The Bundaberg region of Queensland produces $400 million worth of fruit and vegetables a year.