Kirti
from Nepal picks blueberries in Portugal.
“There are no Visas available for harvest workers like me. I borrowed €14,000 to be able to come here.”
“I had hoped to pay off the debt quickly, but it will be difficult.”
“You must hold onto your dreams.”
The pickers in Portugal receive papers and can work legally. But the entrance for Asian pickers is not regulated. Not in Portugal and not in other European countries either. These and other gaps are filled by informal networks. For their services, they demand gigantic sums and put the pickers into so-called „debt-bondage“.
