ʻAʻole pale ka mahiʻai i ka maʻi ahulau ma ʻAmelika. Ke ʻaʻa nei nā mahiʻai i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā mea nui a lākou i lawe ai i mua no ka pono. nā paleti e hoʻouna aku ai i ka hua ma; nā pahu e hoʻokomo i nā hua i loko; nā hoʻokele e lawe i nā huahana. Hiki ke pili i nā mea āpau i ka nele o kahi limahana, wahi a ka mea mahiʻai mea kanu ʻo South Georgia ʻo Ricky Powe.
"Ke hele ʻole ka poʻe hana, ʻaʻole lākou e hana ana i nā palete. ʻAʻole lākou e ʻoki lāʻau e hana i nā palete. He hopena snowball kēia a kokoke mākou e hele i ke poʻo i loko o ʻeono mau mahina, ”i ʻōlelo ʻo Powe.
"Hiki iaʻu ke loaʻa nā huahana aʻu e makemake ai i ke kahua akā inā ʻaʻohe aʻu pahu e hoʻokomo ai, inā ʻaʻohe aʻu kalaka e lawe aku ai, ma hea wau e hele ai? He mau pahu kaʻu i kēia manawa ma RPC i hiki ke hoʻohana hou ʻia i mau ipu. ʻAʻole hiki iā lākou ke kiʻi i ka poʻe e holoi i nā pahu me ka wikiwiki. Ke holoi lākou iā lākou, ʻaʻole hiki iā mākou ke lawe i ke kalaka e hāʻawi iā lākou. He pōʻaiapuni ia e wili nei i ka kaohi no ka mea ʻaʻohe mea e hana. ”
ʻOluʻolu loa?
Hana ʻo Powe i nā mahiʻai i nā tōmato, pepa, pickles, ʻuala melemele, zucchini a me nā pī hapalua holo ma Grady County, Keokia. Makemake ʻo ia e ʻike ka poʻe ma muli o kā lākou kālā a hiki ʻole ke hana no ka manawa pōkole, ʻaʻole ia he pane lōʻihi.
“ʻ saylelo maikaʻi ka poʻe ʻaʻole pono wau e hana, he kālā kaʻu. ʻAʻole waiwai ke kālā i loko o kāu ʻeke i ʻelua mau keneta inā ʻaʻohe āu meaʻai e kūʻai ai, kahi mea e ʻai ai a mea paha e inu ai, ”wahi a Powe. "Kūlou nā kānaka āpau i waho o ke ʻano a hana no ka holoi ʻana i kou puʻu me ka pepa lua. Hiki iā ʻoe ke noho me ka ʻole o kēlā. Akā inā ʻaʻohe ou ala e hydrate ai a me kahi ala e hānai ai i kou kino, loaʻa iā ʻoe nā pilikia. Hele mākou i laila. ”
Ua hōʻike ʻo Growers i nā hopohopo e pili ana i ka nele i ka pallet manaʻo ʻia e mau ma ka liʻiliʻi a hiki i Iune. He puka aniani paha ia no nā mea kanu mea kanu a me nā loea. Aia ʻo Florida i ka waena o kāna kau. Ua kokoke ʻo Georgia a me ʻAlapama i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka hōʻiliʻiliʻai. E makemake ʻia nā pale hou aʻe i ka hoʻouna ʻia ʻana o ka hua.
Hoʻohui pū ʻo Powe aia nō ka nele o kahi kalaiwa kalaka.
"Ua hui wau me kahi kāne ma PFG (Performance Food Group). Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia ma ka (midwest a i ke komohana wahi) kahi o kekahi o ko lākou mau kaikuahine wahi, ke hāʻawi nei lākou i $ 15,000 hōʻailona hōʻailona a ma nā wahi āpau mai $ 80,000 a $ 90,000 i kēlā me kēia makahiki e holo i kahi kalaka lawe no ka meaʻai, a ʻaʻole hiki iā lākou ke kiʻi kekahi e hana ia. ʻO kēia kāne e hui pū me aʻu i ka pule i hala a pono ʻo ia e kāpae no ka mea ʻo ia ka luna mea kanu, ka tī nui o ka ʻaelike āpau a aia ʻo ia ma luna o kahi kalaka e lawe ana i ka lawe,
Āhea e pau ai?
ʻO Labour, kahi kaula paʻa no nā mahiʻai US, he pilikia paʻakikī ia e hoʻonui ana i ka hopohopo no ka nui o nā mea mahiʻai. I loko o nā makahiki he 75 i hala aku nei, ua holo ʻo Belk i nā hoʻolaha ma nā nūpepa kūloko e ʻimi nei i nā limahana mahiʻai ma nā mokuʻāina ʻekolu, a hāʻawi i nā uku kūpono loa, kahi hōʻoia o 10% mau hola hana, nā hale manuahi a me ka lawe ʻana. Ma loko o XNUMX mau makahiki, ua loaʻa iā ia ʻelua mau nīnau e pili ana i ka wehe ʻana o ka hana, ʻaʻole hoʻi i hōʻike ʻia kahi prospect no ka nīnauele i hoʻonohonoho ʻia. I ka pōkole, ʻaʻole kū hoʻokahi ke kūlana o Belk, a maʻamau nā ʻano like i ka ʻāina mahiʻai.
"ʻAʻole ia e pili i ke kīkēkē ʻana i nā hoʻolimalima kūloko," hoʻoikaika ʻo ia. "ʻO kekahi o nā limahana ʻoi loa nā hoʻolimalima kūloko, akā ʻo kēlā mau kāne kūikawā a paʻakikī e loaʻa. ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo paʻakikī ka limahana a mākou e makemake ʻole ai e hana i ka mahi mahiʻai. ʻO ia ka poʻe hana H-2A, ka poʻe mākaukau pinepine a makemake maoli e noho ma aneʻi, ʻoi aku ka waiwai. "