Spanish Strawberry Farms Reconsider Moroccan Labor After Border Crisis

"Until now, this system has worked well because there has never been a contingency like this one. But in case of problems, we have found that none of the main administrations proposes solutions," they explain.

As palliative measures, employers are considering looking for labor in Eastern European or South American countries. "We must ensure that not all employees come from the same country, to avoid such situations," explains Antonio Luis Martín, a strawberry producer from Cartaya (Huelva) and pioneer of the current recruitment model for more than 20 years.

Like his colleagues, Martín fears that the same causes will produce the same effects next year. For him, the solution lies in Europe. "We need to build links with other countries outside the European Union, such as Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus or Macedonia, which also have a culture and customs similar to ours," he added.

To replace the Moroccan workforce, estimated on average at around 15,000 over the past 15 years, with that of other countries, the strawberry producers consulted suggest taking into account the economic viability and the content of international treaties with these countries.

Nearly 15% of the workforce working during the strawberry season in the province of Huelva are Moroccan seasonal workers. The closure of the borders on March 13 due to Covid-19 reduced the number of these workers from 14,000 to 7,200, forcing producers to look for local labor or young foreign migrants to save the season. By mid-June, these women whose contracts had expired could not return home. Spain’s negotiations with Morocco resulted in the repatriation of about a hundred sick, pregnant or recently delivered seasonal workers.

For those who remained in Huelva, the situation is becoming unsustainable, as they have exhausted the little savings intended for their families to feed and survive. NGOs and producers are already talking about a "serious humanitarian crisis".