Dole Pineapple
por Sarah Manwill
1. Why I Can Afford It
1.1. Subcontractors; 50% of pineapple workers are hired by subcontractors. They provide low paid and unionized workers. This also huge companies to avoid good working conditions and not follow international and national labour laws.
1.2. United States farm subsidies make products produced by Dole, a large company, cheaper because the Department of Agriculture grants large subsidies to farmers who plant more crops, which encourages farms to grow more and gives small farms little to no economic value.
1.3. Costa Rica has lower wage costs than the United States. Outsourcing farming here means that Dole can pay much less money for labor than they would if these farms were in the States.
2. Large Corporate Economic Advantages
2.1. CAFTA- Central America Free Trade Agreement
2.1.1. A treaty under international law, but not United States law, eliminates almost all tariffs on imports. This agreement favors corporate agribusiness over independent producers and forces market prices down. Under CAFTA, Costa Rica is required to reduce subsidies and other supports that protect small businesses in order to compete with low priced imports from the States.
2.2. WTO- World Trade Organization
2.2.1. Gives advantages to large corporations due to subsidies and low international taxes.
3. Impacts on Global Neighbors
3.1. 70% of workers in the pineapple industry are Nicaraguan migrants. They provide cheap labor but are vulnerable and taken advantage of by their employers because they do not have visas.
3.1.1. Materials
3.1.2. Personnel
3.1.3. Services
3.1.4. Duration