Moroccan Seasonal Workers Arrive in Corsica for Clementine Harvest Amid Pandemic Challenges

There are nearly 900 agricultural workers who will be transported by air from Morocco to Corsica, indicates Le Parisien, mentioning that their presence on Corsican soil is a real challenge in these times of health crisis. "These men have been coming to Corsica for decades. Normally their trip is a formality. But with Covid-19, the organization has been colossal," said Simon-Pierre Fazi, the president of the Corsican AOP.

A whole budget. For the five chartered planes, accommodation and other expenses, the 150 producers have mobilized 500,000 euros. Not to mention the administrative formalities and the essential screening of the workers before their departure from Casablanca, and the antigen tests, on their arrival at Bastia airport, completes the same source.

All these hassles and expenses, because on the spot, this work does not interest the island’s population: "The Moroccan workers are there because there was no response to our offers. (...) because the working conditions are very difficult," said François-Xavier Ceccoli, president of the Corsica comptoir agricultural group, who fears, along with his peers, the specter of a possible re-containment or the closure of the Moroccan borders. "They are paid around the minimum wage, subject to the overtime regime and we provide free accommodation, which allows them to save. It’s a win-win system," boast the occasional employers.

To recall, clementines are part of Corsica’s heritage with an annual turnover of nearly 80 million euros. The sector accounts for 95% of national production.