The consumer of fruit and produce grown in Alabama will be the group that pays for Alabama’s new tough illegal immigrant law.
Interviews with local produce managers at WalMart and Winn Dixie indicate that the prices that everyone pays for fruit and produce grown in Alabama will rise because the cost of labor must rise. That increased cost will be passed on to the ultimate consumer.
The owners of the few local roadside produce stands that are still selling products agree. These operations are usually from small farms and may be a supplementary income source to small farmers. The owners feel that they will be able to raise prices because their competition in grocery chains and other food stores will be forced to raise prices. These business owners foresee a price increase that they hope to capitalize on by undercutting the larger operations prices as well as offering product that is verifiably not associated with illegal immigrant labor.
Robert Bentley’s plan to have the unemployed replace immigrant farm workers has so far not paid off. Too few farmers are taking advantage of the program and those that do are not satisfied with the output of the new workers. The unemployed are not used to this type of work. The pay rate for an eight to ten hour day is as little as $25 a day. This is legal as a contracted agreement to pay piece rate for work. An unemployed person who is not experienced to the conditions of this type of work cannot expect to make much money. Harvest will only last a certain period of time and the new worker will again be unemployed.
This report is the result of actual interviews with managers and produce managers at local grocery stores and roadside vendors. No one wished to be named or quoted. The consensus of opinion is that prices for fruit, vegetables, and other produce will go up next year because of the new laws.
No one wanted to be named or quoted because they did not want any problem with the government, they did not want to offend their Hispanic customer or any group that might represent them, they did not want to perceived as harboring illegal alien workers, and they cannot predict the future.
This new get tough illegal immigrant law is really a stealth tax. As prices go up tax revenue increases.
No massive investigation of large companies in Alabama that may be large campaign contributors has been mentioned by any reformer as a means to stop illegal immigration in this soon to be election year in mostly Republican Alabama. The recent budget cuts in the Alabama Department of Agriculture will also prevent detection of any illegal activities on large corporate farms.
Another result of the new immigrant law is the small to medium sized farmer will not be able to compete and may have to go out of business. This event would allow corporate giants to consume the small farmer’s enterprise and create a more conducive climate for higher prices.
Alabama grocers can buy from California and other states to prevent higher prices for produce being passed on to the consumer.
Alabama’s get tough immigration law is bound for the United States supreme court because one of its provisions was found to be legal while another lower court found the same provision to be illegal. This disagreement makes the decision the property of the U.S. Supreme Court. There might be a decision in one or two years. That decision will not affect prices.
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