European country faces labour crisis; 2,00,000 vacancies in farming sector

ATHENS: The agricultural sector in Greece is in crisis due to the reduced availability of workers. Work in the plantations, including harvesting, is now in abeyance. With this, the demand for relaxation of visa restrictions in order to bring more workers to the agricultural sector is going on in Greece. The entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector have directly requested the government that there is an urgent need for 1.80 lakh labourers for agricultural work.

For Greece, which has been going through economic imbalances, the reduction in the number of workers has created a major setback in the agricultural sector and the country's economy. Greece has signed an agreement to bring 5,000 workers from Egypt to overcome the labour shortage. Those working in the agricultural sector are demanding relaxation of visa restrictions to bring in more workers.

Greece aims to issue 1.5 lakh resident permits this year. Last year, the government had decided to issue work permits to illegal immigrants in areas with labour shortage. Migration of youth, a challenge faced by many European countries, is increasing in Greece, creating a crisis, including in the labour sector.