Approximately 28,000 people registered to perform agricultural labor during the collection season. The coffee season starts in mid-August. Icafé and the Ministry of Labor congratulate the effort and the positive response among harvesters.
There are 20,000 records on Icafés platform and another 7,932 on that of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. This is significant because last year less than 1,000 people registered. An estimated 85,000 people are needed to harvest coffee, sugar cane, orange and melon.
11% of those who registered are foreigners. It is typical for Ngöbe-Buglé indigenous people to cross the border from Panama to work the harvest season in Costa Rica. Producers are hoping there will be a way for them to obtain permits to enter the country among the covid-19 pandemic. 60 to 90% of those who work harvesting crops are foreigners. This year many more Costa Rican hands will be needed if foreigners are not allowed to cross the currently closed borders. There is hope of some agreement being reached such as allowing them to enter with health certificates and having them stay on the farms in social bubbles.
