"Heavy working conditions and low wages. Working days from eight o'clock in the morning until eleven o'clock at night in greenhouses where it can be 52 degrees Celsius. No hope of improvement. A hopeless existence." That is the picture that blogger Daisy outlines, drawn from her visit to Moroccan tomato farms.
Daisy was invited by advocacy Fair Food to look into the Moroccan greenhouses. Fair Food struck earlier at the Moroccan tomato industry. Last year, they published a report titled 'The Fruits of their labor - The low wages behind Moroccan tomatoes sold in European supermarkets.'
Following her visit, she wrote a blog in which she called attention to the Moroccan workers' situation. She interviewed Moroccan tomato worker Zahra - who let a tear flow at the farewell. "They asked me to tell her story at home and hope that it will help. That things will get a little better when I tell them what I've heard today."
Daisy notes that Moroccan tomatoes in the European stores are actually too cheap. "From November to April, most of the tomatoes in the major Dutch supermarkets come from Morocco," she writes. "In the big supermarkets tomatoes cost around € 2.50 per kilo. This is only possible because the tomato pickers and packers in Morocco do not get paid enough." According to Daisy the women in the greenhouses daily pick 450 kg of tomatoes for 6 euros per day. She states, the workers have no contracts and they do not dare stand up for their rights.
Click here for the blog of Daisy (in Dutch)
Click here for the blog of Daisy (in Dutch)