They are trying to recruit 300 tomato pickers to work on a farm in Santa Isabel

The start of the tomato harvest in the southern part of the island has begun and the farms are looking for workers to collect as much fruit as possible and prevent production from being lost.

“We’ve faced a loss of staff, employees don’t gain weight and the work is strong and requires a large number of collectors that we don’t have. As a result, the number of ropes planted is reduced, ”he stated. Guillermo Fernandez, producer and general manager of the Gargiulo farm in Santa Isabel, one of the largest production companies in Puerto Rico, for over 32 years.

Fernández indicated that the expected production for this 2021 season is 685,000 boxes. They want to export 50% of that. Before Hurricane María, the Gargiulo farm exported 70% of its production.

The farm now has to recruit more than 300 pickers. However, it only has a third. Today 98 workers have arrived and slightly less have arrived in previous days.

Due to the lack of labor, the Gargiulo farm has reduced production. “From the 800 ropes we had, we reduced the production and the quantity. Today we only have 280 rows of tomatoes, ”says Fernández.

As a requirement to pick tomatoes, you only need to have two hands and the desire to work. Pick up time is from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and it is paid at $ 7.25 an hour. Each worker could collect 78 buckets per day, but if he collects more, he will get 65 cents for each additional bucket, as an incentive.

Employees will not lose the government benefits they receive Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN). Currently, more than 6,500 people working in agriculture are enjoying this benefit, according to the Administrator of the Administration of Socio-economic Development of the Family (ADSEF), Alberto Fradera.

The harvest takes 14 weeks. The incentive per bucket will go up to 85 cents in the case of the third collection line, once the worker exceeds 78 buckets per day.

For his part, Ramón “Pirul” González Beiró, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, recognized the lack of labor in the agricultural sector. “The labor shortage has been a constant challenge in the agricultural sector, and represents a fundamental part of the execution of our agribusiness, affecting their production and marketing. We need to promote more Puerto Ricans to enter the agricultural workforce, ”he said.

González wants to promote the employability of agriculture in the vegetable sector during the high harvest season and promote the local consumption of the fruit in Puerto Rican households. He indicated that under his administration he will make existing programs available to farmers, as well as new initiatives to increase the consumption of the local product and in turn will enter into agreements with the various agencies to develop strategies aimed at promoting of agricultural work.

The secretary visited the farm in Santa Isabel today with Fradera.

“Our approach is to strengthen marketing and present alternatives for the development of the island’s agriculture and economy, so we try to provide farmers with all available means to position them nationally and internationally. We emphasize the urgent need for the unemployed to see agriculture as an opportunity for employment and to contribute to the development of our country ”, added the secretary.

People interested in picking tomatoes can call 787-845-2530.