Israel signs order for young people to work in the citrus harvest

Young people will fill the void left by Thai and Palestinian workers who cannot enter the country

The Israeli government has signed a new order allowing thousands of young people over the age of 18 to participate in the citrus harvest in light of the severe shortage of pickers the country is facing due to the Coronavirus crisis.

With around 60% of the crop harvested by the end of March, growers said the move would help thousands of farms given labor shortages, since the introduction of restrictions on the movement of Thai and Palestinian workers once started. the bud.

According to data released by the Plant Production and Marketing Board, since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, the 15.000 Thai workers who have left the country have not been allowed to return, and another 5.000 Palestinian workers face similar restrictions.

All this puts more pressure on the sector than before the disease, it was already facing a major labor crisis, with estimates placing the shortfall of temporary workers at around 16.000.

Young workers will be required to comply with strict regulations set out by the Ministry of Health to prevent contagion, including maintaining a 2-meter distance from co-workers, wearing gloves and masks, and regular hand washing.

Volunteers will work for alternate periods of 10 days to prevent cross contamination. In addition to recruited youth, Israel has seen a dramatic increase in volunteers who have not been paid due to the outbreak and prefer to contribute to society rather than stay at home.

Joel Silberman, director of the New Guard, an organization that aims to foster the relationship between farmers and society in Israel, said: “This week we received very important news for the entire state of Israel, the Ministry of Education will now allow Israel's youth can participate in securing the country's food, fruits and vegetables. This is hugely important in a situation where farmers are experiencing a major labor crisis that directly threatens crops. Let's hope this move also signals a change in the atmosphere and a search for solutions to bring the crisis to an end."

Source
SimFRUIT

Previous article

next article

ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS

Austral Cherry: Good Campaign for the Pretty Girl of Fruit Growing
The impact and supply of new genetics will be the main topic at the meeting...
Novel system to evaluate the impact of relative humidity on the pe...