More than 900 Moroccan agricultural workers will arrive in Corsica from Friday to “
save the harvests
” of clementines on the island, thanks to an “
exceptional
”
sanitary and diplomatic protocol
, we learned on Wednesday from the authorities.
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These 902 Moroccan nationals are due to land in Corsica from Friday, on board five flights funded "
by Corsican farmers, who were afraid of losing their crops and for whom it is an imperative
", explained to the AFP Didier Leschi, director of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII), which implemented this protocol negotiated with the Interministerial Crisis Center (CIC), attached to the Prime Minister, the prefecture of Haute -Corsica as well as the Moroccan authorities.
The coronavirus pandemic and the closure of the external borders of the European Union had put a brake on the arrival of seasonal workers, in particular those from the Maghreb who represent an essential part of foreign seasonal workers in France.
"
All these Moroccan workers will be tested for Covid-19 on departure and on arrival, then seven days after their arrival,
" said Didier Leschi.
To bring these workers, the OFII had to "
negotiate an exceptional protocol with the Moroccan authorities so that people can circulate within Morocco to be able to take the flights
", after being received by the offices of the Office in Casablanca , adds Leschi.
Read also: In the South, complicated working conditions for seasonal agricultural workers
The return flights of the 902 people concerned were also financed by local farmers, who produce between 20 and 30,000 tonnes of clementines each year and with which seasonal workers will benefit from contracts of "
three or four months
", the same source continues. .
