The French Immigration Office and the Moroccan Employment Agency signed an agreement to facilitate the employment of Moroccan seasonal agricultural workers on French farms, the French union announced on Friday.
In a statement, the National Federation of Agricultural Workers in France indicated that “this step falls within the objectives to meet the needs of farmers who are currently experiencing a shortage of job seekers, especially for seasonal work, for fear of losing some crops.”
The agreement was signed with the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) and Morocco’s National Agency for Stimulating Employment (ANAPEC).
The French Union stated that the aim is to establish “the foundations for a beneficial and responsible mechanism with a clear objective, which is to offer collective and safe employment procedures to farmers. This is in addition to ensuring at the same time the employees’ income, integration, and return to their home country in an organized and respectful context.
Foreign seasonal workers, who have returned in large numbers since the lifting of restrictions associated with COVID-19, play a key role in the French agricultural sector.
The need for this workforce in French farms has become so urgent that farmers have asked French authorities to establish exceptional air bridges during the health crisis to transport workers at a time when air travel was suspended.
