The top official of the Coordination of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations (COAG), Andrés Góngora, has advocated for migration and its regularization, calling them "necessary" to face agricultural campaigns with "more normality." Góngora, who is also the organization's new general secretary, stated in an interview with Efeagro that regularization will allow producers to hire foreign workers with proper documentation who have been living in the country for years.
"We had been complaining for years that we couldn't find labor," said Góngora, expressing his incomprehension towards those who question the regularization process. COAG believes that the current Foreigners Law "does not meet the needs" of either immigrants or productive sectors, and therefore requests the elimination of the two-year residency requirement to work and regularize one's status in Spain.
The agricultural organization highlights that the integration of immigrants in rural areas is "an example," with some zones having doubled their population thanks to these processes and where conflicts are "minimal." Góngora criticized the "intellectual capacity of certain politicians" who oppose this integration, contrasting it with the "superior" capacity of rural communities.
Regarding the impact of the war in Iran, Góngora pointed to rising costs and the need to move towards "food sovereignty" and reduced dependence on imports. He called for a long-term plan with investments in research, such as in fertilizers and agroecology.
On trade agreements with Morocco and the Mercosur bloc, COAG believes the sector "has won in terms of narrative, not politically, but socially," as public opinion understands that they "do not bring benefit to society," despite the political and economic interests of the European Union.
Góngora defended COAG's independence and stated that it will prioritize a "social" model for farmers and ranchers. He emphasized the importance of reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), ensuring that the budget reaches "those who need it most," and requested more information from the Government due to a "halt" in the process.
Regarding generational renewal, he noted that irrigated agriculture has more future, but young people face difficulties accessing land, exacerbated by the entry of investment funds. Although "agriculture and livestock farming are in the best moment" in history, he acknowledged that some productions still suffer from profitability issues.
