Department of Agriculture

The bureaucratic hurdles in visa processing, high costs of importing labor, and lack of affordable housing for agricultural workers have hindered the Department of Agriculture's initiative to address the challenge of harvesting coffee in the mountainous regions of Puerto Rico.

The disbursement of the $11.4 million assigned after the passage of Hurricanes Irma and María has trickled in. In four years, Agriculture has disbursed only 4% to fishermen, or about $459,139, according to the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency’s website.