AGRICULTURAL NEWS - The shortage of migrant workers to harvest coffee beans in South America due to travel restrictions aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic, could result in countries such as Costa Rica, not being able to complete their harvests.
Local farmers have warned that if the COVID-19-induced foreign labour shortage was not resolved soon, coffee beans could go unharvested, Reuters reported.
Workers from Panama and Nicaragua, who typically accounted for about two-thirds of Costa Rica’s coffee harvesting workforce, were facing serious challenges entering the country.
According to Reuters, coffee prices rallied in March before declining nearly 10% in April.
