Paris (AFP)

More than 200,000 people responded to the national call to compensate for the lack of seasonal workers in agriculture and other production sectors considered to be priorities such as food and logistics, said the Minister of Agriculture and food Tuesday.

"After the call that I launched, today there are more than 200,000 people who responded, and we have 5,000 recruiters who are organizing the work," said Minister Didier Guillaume on France 2. by mentioning the platform launched in particular by Pôle emploi.

"We are not going to take these people across France, they are going to work near them, with farmers, but also in agrifood companies, in transport, logistics," said the minister.

Tuesday morning, the platform indicated that 10,621 job openings were available in these sectors, but also in health, home help, energy and telecoms, also considered a priority during the containment period.

Mr. Guillaume especially insisted on those called to work in the "food chain" so that it "does not break up" (...) If it were broken, "there would be nothing to eat for our fellow citizens" , he warned.

He encouraged French people confined to consume French products.

"If you can no longer go to the countryside, the countryside comes to you, buy fresh products, fruit and vegetables (...) if you cannot go to the sea, the sea comes to you, buy fish , shells!" he launched, while producers in many sectors find it difficult to find outlets.

"With the cold, there has not been much work" still in agriculture, he conceded, asked about the low number of job offers in this sector.

"We have 5,000 recruiters who look at the profiles, and guide them so that they work in agriculture but also in logistics: it is very important that the products are sent to the places of purchase" to feed the confined populations , he said.

Didier Guillaume underlined the magnitude of the changes that have taken place in a few weeks in the supply circuits and the challenge of redirections to be carried out in order to feed the populations "without breaking" the food chain.

"I would remind you that there are 20 million people who ate out-of-home catering, who ate outside every day and who are now at home, we have to feed 20 million more people in direct purchases", he calculated.

"Before, they were in collective catering, (...) and there people eat at home," added the minister who had launched a fortnight ago "to the army in the shadow of men and women (who) no longer have a job "and are put on partial unemployment because of the crisis linked to Covid-19, inviting them to" join the great army of French agriculture "in search of labor for fruit and vegetable crops or spring sowing.

In addition to the Pôle emploi platform, the main agricultural union FNSEA had relayed the government's call on a dedicated platform: www.desbraspourtonassiette.wizi.farm.

© 2020 AFP