Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 25 ISSUE 2
Written by Miroslava KOSTOVAKARABOYTCHEVA, Dora DONCHEVA

Almeria and Murcia are regions that represent a tiny part of Spain in terms of area and population, but they account for a significant share of the national production and export of vegetables, supplying a large part of the EU Member States. As production and exports have grown, so has the demand for labour, and an increasing proportion of this demand has been met by immigrants. Thus, Murcia and Almería became Spain's major centres of immigrant-based agriculture, where intensive production resembles an industrial process. The aim of this study is to show that the strong raise in production has attracted migrants and their presence in the agricultural sector has increased significantly. Data on production, exports, labour force and migration were collected from different Spanish institutions over a period of thirty-eight years and a multiple linear regression model was applied to test our hypothesis. The results obtained confirm this hypothesis and are consistent with theories explaining labour migration.

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