Rabat – The Spanish province of Huelva, one of Europe’s largest producers of strawberries, has announced plans to recruit 11,000 Moroccan women for the upcoming harvest season.
According to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, the number of contracted seasonal workers is expected to rise by another 3,000.
Spain’s Provincial Commission for the Social Integration of Migratory Flows on Thursday met in Huelva to evaluate the outcomes of the 2021/2022 agriculture season and coordinate strategies for the next season.
The meeting, chaired by sub-delegate Manuel Parralo, called for recruiting an additional 3,000 Moroccan women to offset the lack of EU-based seasonal workers.
Spain also partnered with Honduras to recruit 250 seasonal workers from the Central American country to meet the domestic needs for labor in the agriculture sector.
Annually, thousands of Moroccan seasonal migrants travel to Spain for the harvest season.
In 2001, Morocco and Spain signed an agreement, allowing seasonal laborers to pick fruit in Spain on temporary visas.
In 2019, Spain welcomed around 20,000 Moroccan women to work on strawberry farms in Huelva. Last season however, the number dropped to 12,000 workers. Morocco’s border closure due to the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus also caused a delay in the arrival of female workers to the Spanish province.
Considering the crucial role of seasonal workers in the smooth running of agricultural and industrial operations in Spain, the Spanish Council of Ministers agreed in August to reform immigration laws to ease the recruitment processes for foreign workers.
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