73-year-old hopes COVID-19 does not hurt farmwork travel plans

Augustus Morgan has been participating in the farmwork programe for 55 years, and that is the only job he has ever done. But the COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to him continuing and earning a living.

Morgan, 73, who travelled on the programme for the first time at age 18, was looking forward to being part of the programme for at least another decade. But now, uncertainty looms over that plan.

“They always call me in August, (but) I don’t know if they going to call me back this year. I am looking forward to that call in August. I’m just waiting to see what happens,” the Easington, St Thomas, resident told THE STAR.

Some 13, 000 seasonal workers travel from Jamaica in the USA yearly. Audrey Marks, Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, said that 6,000 of these workers are processed through private agents while 7,000 are processed by the Government of Jamaica. Of the 7,000 workers processed by the Jamaican Governmnet, some 5,000 are agricultural workers and 2,000 are hospitality workers. Morgan has been among the agricultural workers for the past 55 years, and it has been his one and only source of income for over five decades.

This opportunity

“I was looking forward to this opportunity to make some money. I don’t do any work here (Jamaica). The first money I make was in the United States on the programme. I have never worked in Jamaica before … Every money I have earned is off of the programme.”

“I cut sugar cane and pick apple and oranges. From me start travel, I go to apple (farm) straight from 1964 up to last year. And sometimes I go and cut sugar cane,” he shared with pride.

“I get a lot of experience. Me enjoy the work as much as me can, and I don’t sick or anything … Me body just run good same way. There is no complaining with the boss dem or anything like that. I love the experience, and that is why I go back so many times.”