US (FL): Farm industry wants more visas for day laborers
During a press conference in Tallahassee, Steve Johnson, Florida Farm Bureau director, described the current temporary guest work program as "inconvenient and costly, which makes it very difficult for us to count on stable workers," according to EFE.
Johnson supports the expansion of the H-2A visa program, which currently caps agricultural worker visas at 66,000 per year.
"Well, being in the harvesting business, we depend on seasonal labour. I mean that is what we do, and it's hard to get anyone to come in," Johnson said according to WJCT. "Currently, the H-2A program is so cumbersome, and it's so expensive, it makes it very difficult. So, for us to get a visa program where we can just put in an order, and get the ideas over to do what we need them to do and get them back is a huge cost advantage for us."
Florida Farm Bureau members were also joined by Florida Citrus Mutual, an association for Florida citrus growers, producers and marketers. EFE reports that the citrus industry has been especially hurt by a shrinking labourer supply, which consists heavily of undocumented immigrants and Mexicans and Guatemalans on H-2A visas. The association argued that immigration reform would help create a bigger work force and thus bigger yields and profits.
According to Johnson, citrus greening disease, which has destroyed many citrus crops, has actually been helpful this year as it diminished the need for workers.
"Greening has actually helped the labour situation because we've got less to pick," Johnson explained. "However, the flip side of that is if we find the cure for greening, or a band aid for greening, we're going to have a labour shortage tremendously."
Source: latinpost.com
