"Italian agriculture would be in dire straits without immigrant labor because some crops cannot be mechanized. Without foreign workers we would probably be unable to produce, process and sell our products," Alessandro Mastrocinque, president of the Confederation of Italian Farmers (CIA), told ANSAmed during the regional assembly in Naples. Mastrocinque added, "our sector is very open to immigrants because for years we have paid for the fact that Italians are no longer willing to do certain jobs such as animal rearing or open-field harvesting. In this respect immigrants have been a big help. Moreover, agricultural workers settle here and bring over their families, so the economic legacy no longer ends up outside Italy."

'Political parties hostile to migrants, we are open'

Immigrants play an important part in the agricultural sector, said Mastrocinque, stressing how "our firms need this workforce to produce well and generate income." The president noted the emerging anti-immigrant sentiment in the current election campaign, saying "instead we are open." This opening is confirmed by the CIA national president Secondo Scannavino. "I don't have certain figures, but I think that 10 percent of agricultural workers in Italy are foreign," he said. 

"However, it is necessary to distinguish between immigration caused by war and economic migration. There is a virtuous relationship with the latter, we were among the first in Europe to have non-EU workers. There is a strong tradition of integration in the sector; I am thinking of Macedonians in the vineyards, of Indians and Romanians in animal husbandry. Today, immigration motivated by war brings large numbers that end up prey to crime and the gangmaster system. This phenomenon is present in the south but perhaps even more so in the north, and we are determined to combat it," Scannavino said.

"We don't have a system of controls, but if we receive reports we start investigating. We are concerned about the human aspect but also about the bad image that the gangmaster system gives farmers, which isn't helpful."

Project for 'Mediterranean Expo' launched

The Naples assembly CIA also launched a project for the Mediterranean agri-food Expo to promote cultures, specialties and products that are increasingly popular on global markets. "The Mediterranean area is becoming a free trade and single production area, and Campania, with its geographical position, ports and ship-building tradition, can have a decisive role in logistics and knowledge sharing," Mastrocinque said. "For this reason, we have asked our governor to propose Campania to host a big annual event on food, a Mediterranean Expo."