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15,000 Spaniards prepare for exodus to carry out French grape harvest

Xinhua, July 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Around 15,000 people will travel from Spain to France in the coming days to take part in the annual grape harvest.

The Agricultural Union "Federacion Agroalementaria" (FEAGA) expected a similar number of people to make the trip this year as in 2014 for the harvest which will start on Aug. 10.

This year's harvest in France will start several weeks earlier this year due to the hot weather in the region, which has caused grapes to ripen earlier.

FEAGA estimates that over 75 percent of those who make the annual pilgrimage will do so from the region of Andalusia in the far south of Spain with around 11,250 crossing all of Spain to get to France. There will also be a further 2,000 travelling from Valencia and over a thousand from Castilla la Mancha.

The majority of those trips will be made by coach as the workers look to earn a minimum salary of between 1,100-1,500 euros (around 1,200-1,700 U.S. dollars) for 15 days' work depending on how many hours they work.

Around 80 percent of those who make the long trip for the first time are aged between 30-60 years old and have only a basic education, while 20 percent are younger than 30 and have studied at university, according to FEAGA officials.

FEAGA also highlights that although 15,000 people will travel to France this summer, the demand for the work has fallen compared to 2014 given that the Spanish harvest has also been brought forward as a result of the hot weather, while the increased offer of work in the Spanish tourism industry means less people need to travel in order to earn money. Endit