The National Institute of Viticulture (INV) has announced the harvest forecasts for this harvest. An estimated production of 17 million quintals of grapes, 24% more than in 2023.
The data is encouraging because it indicates that it is a healthier harvest, less affected than last year, when the vine crop had suffered late frosts.
However, they are there worry in the wine sector because, a week before the bulk of the harvest begins, The problem of labor shortage arises again.
Several producer entities and cooperatives have warned of a shortage of pickers. And the main reason is that the workers: “they don’t want to be registered in the temporary collection for fear of losing their projects of jobs or family benefits”, say several representatives.
Mauro Sosa, president of the Center of Viñateros and Bodegueros del Este, explained that the lack of grape harvesters is a problem of all regional economies. “On the one hand because that swallow worker (traveled from north to central-south) remained in his province and the majority had access to a national, provincial or municipal subsidy or plan“, He says.
And as the winemakers and winemakers in the Eastern area tell us (which represents more than 50% of the grape production in Mendoza) the workers do not want to register for fear of losing the plan, they say they will cancel their Alimentar card, the Universal Child Allocation ( AUH) to them or they take them away from their relatives“.
Beyond the fact that there is the extension of decree 514/2021, which guarantees the promotion of formal employment and the expansion of social security benefits, including the Alimentar card, for temporary workers and their families, In some cases they lost the benefit.
The national government made this clear Temporary rural workers can have registered employment without losing social assistance. But, as Sosa explains, the subsidy can be suspended for various reasons: “The system sees that there is a member registered in the family unit (with social security contributions and social assistance) and takes away the subsidy from the rest of the members of the same cohabiting group”.
To which is added a measure implemented last year by the government of Alberto Fernández, which generated incompatibility between formal work and social assistance.
On 2 October 2023, decree 493/2023, which established a new IFE as a reinforcement for informal workers, they excluded temporary workers from the subsidy.
Fabián Ruggeri, president of the Association of Acovi wine cooperatives, said that the most affected production areas are Maipú, Luján and Valle de Uco.
“When you ask the harvesters for the documents to register, they don’t give them to you because they claim that when they change categories they have problems with the assignments, because they go to the category of registered employees. And even if the authorities say there are no problems, From the moment they are fired as workers to when they can collect the projects again, some time passes.“Ruggeri detailed.
The calculation of the wine-growing subjects interviewed is that of the 17 million quintals of grapes, approximately 4 million are grown with mechanical harvesting. For the remaining 13 million, more than 18 thousand collectors are needed.
“Half of the demand for vineyard workers is made up of local labor and the rest we cover with the arrival of workers from Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy and Santiago de Estero and with temporary hiring,” says Sosa.
The leader claims that it is becoming increasingly difficult for pickers to come from other provinces, it is no longer attractive to them.
The daily payment is about $300, for a 20-kilo container of grapes. “Per day one person produces about 60 bins, e charges 18 thousand pesos per daythat requires 5 or 6 hours of work”says the president of the Center of Winemakers and Winemakers of the East Zone of Mendoza.
Healthier vineyards
According to the INV, grape production increased this year by an average of 24% across the country, for a total of 17,986,000 quintals; compared to 14,553,101 last year. “In all the provinces in which the estimate was carried out, excellent health of the vineyards was found.”
From the study carried out it is concluded that the production is greater than the previous season’s harvest.
The first report, with a closing date of February 14, 2024, covers the results obtained in the provinces of San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Salta, Mendoza and the rest of the country with vineyards in production. The margin of error for the projection is plus or minus 5%.
Last year, 9,347,927 quintals of grapes were harvested in the province of Mendoza. It is estimated that in the current harvest approximately 11,973,000 quintals will be harvested, 28% more.
Source: Clarin
