Rabat – The Association of Strawberry Producers and Exporters of Huelva, Freshuelva, has asked the Spanish government to increase the number of foreign workers hired through the GECCO program for the next berry harvest.
The request was made during a meeting with Santiago Yerga, Director General of Migration Management at the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, held at the Fruit Attraction fair in Madrid this week.
Producers explained that the berry sector urgently needs more labor to ensure a successful harvest and to stay competitive in European markets. They highlighted the “circular migration” model of the GECCO program, which has been in place for 25 years.
Under this system, workers, mainly from Morocco and South America, come to Spain for the harvest and return to their countries once their contracts end, with the possibility of coming back the following year.
Freshuelva said the system works well, but stated that the current number of foreign workers is still far below what the sector really needs. More than 8,000 foreign workers are already in Huelva this year, while 18,000 people from eight nationalities took part in the harvest last season. The association is calling for more workers from Morocco and South America to complement Spanish and EU labor.
Spain’s strawberry industry, one of Europe’s most profitable agricultural sectors, relies heavily on thousands of seasonal workers brought each year from Morocco. However, rights groups warn that many workers face exploitation, poor living conditions, and little legal protection when problems arise.
Recent reports from Spanish media and migrant rights organizations revealed two cases involving Moroccan women. One was five months pregnant and dismissed without proper contracts or social security coverage, leaving her with no income or legal protection before being forced to return to Morocco.
Another, Zahra, a 47-year-old who had worked in Huelva’s berry fields for seven years, was expelled after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, losing access to vital treatment in Spain. Unions such as CCOO and associations like AMIA have denounced these cases as clear violations of labor rights and human dignity.
