Italy’s migrant fruit pickers

Italy’s migrant fruit pickers

From Documentaries by BBC

June 2, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

The episode explores the realities faced by migrant fruit pickers in Calabria, Italy, amidst changing immigration policies.

In Italy, Georgia Meloni’s coalition government gained power on an anti-immigration political platform. But faced with low birth-rates and a dwindling workforce, the prime minister has had to be pragmatic. Over the next two years, hundreds of thousands of temporary visas are being offered to migrant workers, mainly from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, to help fill the gaps. In the far south of Italy, one of the country’s poorest regions, Calabria, is famous for its citrus fruit, and thousands of farms need workers to pick their produce. Some of the migrant workers live in terrible conditions. Lizzy McNeill reports on what the reality is on the ground.

People in this episode

Guest: Lizzy McNeill

Topics covered

  • migrant workers
  • fruit picking
  • immigration policy
  • labor conditions
  • Italy
  • Calabria

Keywords

  • migrant workers
  • Italy
  • fruit picking
  • Calabria
  • immigration
  • labor conditions
  • Georgia Meloni

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Places: Italy, Calabria, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa

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