Harvesting of citrus fruits, kiwifruit, olives, and other agricultural products is expected to begin in the coming period. Farmers looking for seasonal farm workers have been trying to access the relevant online platform, but it has been down since late September.
The producers didn't know that, and Now they’ll have to go through the process using the traditional method, which is time-consuming, and ultimately, they’ll most likely be unable to find temporary workers who will be paid with work vouchers, but instead «tourists» who will work off the books, and the labor costs won’t be included in their expenses. So let’s go back to the old ways, because when the Production and Trade Committee makes decisions, it doesn’t invite representatives from cooperative organizations but rather certain NGOs.
As Mr. Michalis Karounis, a producer from Molai, stated, «Once applications are submitted on the platform, foreign farmworkers must arrive within 10 days. Last year, the process went through the Regional Authority. This year, the online platform was launched, which sped up the process. However, we suddenly learned that it was shut down at the end of September. No one knows now how the seasonal workers will be recruited. »Time is running out, and the citrus and olive harvest will begin in a few days.".
Mr. Vasileios Katsas, president of the Glyfada Agricultural Cooperative in Pylos, Messinia, tells us about the same problem. As he points out, «At this time of year, it’s impossible to hire farmworkers.”. »There's no time to spare because the olive harvest begins in a few days, and we expect to have a problem with workers.".
For his part, the president of the Nileas Agricultural Cooperative, George Kokkinos, stated that «a few hours ago, I learned that they had shut down the platform for seasonal farmworkers. It is absurd that at this time of year, just before the harvests begin, there is no quick solution for finding workers.».
Mr. Athanasios Nazos, an economist who runs an accounting firm in Grevena, emphasized that «the platform for recruiting farmworkers from third countries for agricultural and livestock work began operating in July. There were problems throughout its operation. For example, I had applied for two farmworkers to help with the apple harvest, but the Immigration Office in Grevena was unable to process their applications, which meant they could not cross the border and enter Greece. In any case, now that the platform has been shut down, farmers will have to contact their local immigration offices to find workers from third countries.».
As Mr. Christos Giannakakis, president of ETHEA, states, «The platform has been closed since late September. This means that The standard procedure must be followed, with applications submitted to the local Immigration Offices within the Decentralized Administrations. Producers should be aware that this process is time-consuming. It takes 10 days for the applications to reach the consulates, and the consulates have three months to respond to the request.».
