The Spanish government announced today, Tuesday, that the country needs about eighty thousand workers in the next few weeks, to participate in the harvesting season for agricultural crops to ensure the market supply of food supplies, and not to damage the crops.
Spanish Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas - at the press conference that followed the weekly meeting of the Spanish government - said that priority will always be given to workers near the harvest, due to restrictions on movement in view of the country's declared health emergency.
He added that the invitation is addressed to the unemployed Spanish without income, and the unemployed who receive unemployment benefits, stressing that they will not be interrupted if they participate in the work in the fields.
As for immigrants who have temporary work contracts, he said that they will be extended, in addition to the young immigrants between the ages of 18 and 21 years, whose work contracts will be arranged for them to participate in the crop harvest season, which will start from mid April this year.
International organizations have previously warned of the risk of food shortages on the global market due to turmoil in international trade and food supplies due to the outbreak of the Coruna virus.
A joint statement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization said that "ambiguity about the availability of food can cause a wave of export restrictions," which in turn may cause "a shortage of the global market."
The three organizations expressed their fear that "the movement of workers in the agricultural and food sectors will slow down", which will hinder many western crops.