US: Farmers Affected by COVID Economic Impact

U.S. farmers are economically affected by the ongoing crisis caused by the COVID-19 in food consumption and trading.

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Rural food production workers are facing various difficulties as they deal with the difficult situation caused by the virus. Those who traded their products with restaurants, schools and hotels lost their market and by so much their profits, unlike those who sold to large markets.

In the absence of a market to receive their products and guarantee profits, many of the farmers ended up throwing away food that could go to hospitals and community centers. This waste of food is a luxury that the United States, the current epicenter of the pandemic, cannot afford.

In addition to maintaining health safety protocols to prevent infection, they may face the possibility that the government of President Donald Trump will lower wages in the agricultural industry to deal with the economic problems left by the pandemic in the sector.

Because of preventive measures such as social isolation, fewer people are going to markets, which means a loss for farmers and markets. In addition to these circumstances, Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture, is considering reducing the wages of farmworkers on H-2 visas. ​​​​​​​

This measure would affect not only workers with this condition but their employers would lose their workforce. According to UFW General Secretary Armando Elenes, "They (farm workers) are really worried.

Elenes, referring to the risks faced by farmers during the pandemic, has stressed that farmworkers cannot perform remote work without being quarantined, but that their work is directly related to production.