Moroccan Workers Save Corsican Clementine Harvest Amid Pandemic Challenges

"Overall, everything went very well. The 90 farms that were waiting for these specialized workers were able to complete the harvest," said François Ravier, the prefect of Haute-Corse, noting that only about ten of the 829 seasonal workers tested in Morocco and upon arrival in Corsica, according to the "exceptional" health and diplomatic protocol established between France and Morocco, tested positive and were immediately isolated.

In addition, François-Xavier Ceccoli, producer and president of the Corsica comptoir group, which brings together 70 producers, told AFP that the Moroccan seasonal workers were in Corsica because the job postings at Pôle Emploi "were not filled." Moreover, these Moroccan seasonal workers have experience in the Corsican field, where they have been coming for years for the harvest.

These seasonal workers are paid the minimum wage of 1,219 euros net per month, with overtime at times, while the guaranteed agricultural minimum in Morocco is less than 200 euros per month. In addition, they "are housed and their round-trip travel is paid for by the farm," Ceccoli said.

However, this year there is a "decrease of about 20% in sales compared to a normal market," said a producer, noting that in 2018, unsold goods were 35% due to the "yellow vest" movement. This year, the harvest is around 27,000-28,000 tons, compared to a French clementine market of nearly 200,000 tons. Thus, the bulk of the sales goes to Spain, the largest European producer, and a little to Morocco.

The poor sales this year would be partly due to the coronavirus, but hope is not completely lost as there are still "4 to 5 weeks" of harvest left, said Simon-Pierre Fazi, president of the AOP Corsican fruit, with 160 clementine producers, hoping for an increase in sales as the holidays approach.