The decision was made not to extend the decree that allows employers to regulate the immigration status of workers who come to Costa Rica to work in agricultural activities.
The decree concerned is No. 42406-MAG-MGP and establishes that employers in the agricultural sector may regularize the immigration status of foreigners who entered the country between January 15, 2016 and January 15, 2020.
The government of Costa Rica signed a decree so that the agricultural sector can formally hire migrants who are in the country.
The decree provides legal certainty to agricultural companies, because they will be able to hire regularized labor for agricultural activities, within the framework of social guarantees, explained the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG).
For the Nicaraguan coffee sector, the difficulty in obtaining workers has worsened, especially in areas such as Nueva Segovia and Matagalpa.
The coffee trade union affirms that in the 2016-2017 cycle approximately 200 thousand hundredweight were lost, and in what has occurred so far of the 2017-2018 harvest, part of the production has also been lost.Entrepreneurs in the sector argue that, in both cases, it is due to a lack of grain cutters.
Agricultural exports totaled $4.7 billion in 2016, equivalent to 45% of the total amount exported by the country, and grew by 7% compared to 2015.
The most recent Agricultural Statistical Bulletin (№ 27), by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, provides detailed information on the main indicators, area and production, prices, foreign trade, credit granted to the sector, wages, public expenditure and employment.
The OECD Committee on Agriculture has approved a policy for the sector, but warned of the need to raise productivity and reduce excessive agricultural institutions.
With the approval of the Agriculture Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the agricultural sector becomes the third of 22 sectors to obtain the necessary approval to complete the process of incorporating the country into the bloc. The OECD has already endorsed public policies on trade and health.
For the sixth time since 2013 a six month extension has been granted to the suspension on the levying of fines on companies that hire undocumented foreign labor for activities such as agricultural harvesting.
The government announced that in January 2017 it issued a new extension to avoid levying fines on companies in the agricultural sector that employ undocumented foreign workers during the harvest season.
A strategy focused on improving productive infrastructure, irrigation, roads, logistics and greater mechanization aims to increase exports by 40% by 2024.
From a statement issued by the Association of Exporters of Guatemala:
31 years ago, Guatemala exported coffee, bananas, cardamom and cotton for a total of US $507, then in 2015 it was recorded that the exportable supply has diversified into cardamom, sesame seeds, vegetables, flowers, crustaceans and shellfish, among other things, and is worth about US $3 billion, 104 million.Involved in this nationwide impact are, according to the National Survey of Living Conditions 2015 (ENCOVI, about 31% of workers, given that they engage in related agricultural activities, while in rural areas the percentage is 55%.
For the fifth time since 2013 fines for hiring foreign agricultural workers to harvest coffee and other agricultural products will be suspended.
The government has announced that in January 2016 it will declare a further extension to prevent the collection of fines from companies in the agricultural sector employing foreign labor for the harvesting season.
People of working age make up 62% of the total, in a labor market marked by a declining birth rate and economic dependence, and an increase in the elderly population.
The report on the labor market in Nicaragua by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is focused on characterization by gender.
From the introduction of the report:
The Nicaraguan labor market has undergone significant demographic changes in recent years: the presence of a high percentage (62 percent) of working age population (15 to 64 years), a declining birth rate and economic dependence, and an increasing elderly population (65 and over). This, together with its structural characteristics such as segmentation and informality, is a complex situation for the employment of the population, especially women who also have been historically discriminated against by a patriarchal society, as occurs worldwide .
Businessmen are demanding that costs be reduced and the procedures required for immigrants to obtain temporary work permits be simplified.
The Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (Cadexco) has asked the General Department of Immigration and Foreign Services for migration processes to be improved and for a reduction in the cost of issuing permits, which currently "...
Included are new certifications for companies that promote the fulfillment of rights and guarantees of their workers.
Fairtrade International has announced changes in standards related to plantations and workers, where detailed requirements are included in order to ensure the rights of workers to organize freely.
From an article by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Costa Rica needs 75,000 coffee pickers for the harvesting which starts in November and another 7,350 people to harvest sugar cane and melon.
This was announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MTSS) who in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agro-Industrial Sugarcane League (LAY) and the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (iCafe), conducted a campaign to find those 82,350 employees for the harvest season which runs from November to April.
There are seven deadly sins being committed in agricultural production in Latin America, preventing possible productivity and perpetuating poverty and underdevelopment.
In his article in Laprensa.com.ni, Juan Vega Gonzales summarizes the concepts developed by Polan Lacki, a
Brazilian specialist with 50 years experience in rural development, regarding the reasons for Latin America’s agricultural underdevelopment.
Costa Rican agricultural employers are demanding from the state better management of FTAs that ensure reciprocity in the application of sanitary and phytosanitary rules.
There is no agreement between the arguments given by the government authorities and demands posed by members of the National Chamber of Agriculture and Agribusiness (CNAA).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, agriculture is one of the sectors that most benefits from the free trade agreements negotiated. On this issue, the Deputy Minister Fernando Ocampo told Nacion.com, "that the administration of the treaties is far more complex than it sounds and involves multiple entities, with the aim of reducing costs for exporters and importers therefore improving competitiveness."
The harvest of sugar, coffee, melon and other agricultural products is awaiting the arrival of Nicaraguan labor.
In Costa Rica, the harvesting of coffee, sugar cane, cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, orange, and pineapple starts in October. These sectors compete for workers who mainly come from Nicaragua.
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