And while Zabaneh can heap scorn on the CGA for its failed project - some may also choose to blame him for a part of the labour woes in the industry.
Due to a combination of factors, both the citrus and banana industries are faced with labour shortages. Most of the labour for fruit picking and handling comes from itinerant Central American farm workers. But in March of 2022, police stopped a bus from Zabaneh's Maya King Farms with 39 Central Americans on board - comprising 27 adults and 12 minors aged 6 to 17 years.
That's a huge red flag both for human traffic and child labour - and it brought labour practices in the south under deep scrutiny by local labour offices and there US Embassy.
We asked Zabaneh about how this changed the labour practices in southern farming:
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"They are accusing me of child labour and human trafficking."
Jules Vasquez
"Yes indeed."
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"I don't think that exists in this country. You know, you go out to look for labourers, and then they want to put you in jail for human trafficking."
Jules Vasquez
"But you had children working here picking oranges."
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"No, no, no, no, no. This is a old thing."
Jules Vasquez
"Explain."
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"People carry their kids, because they cant afford babysitter."
Jules Vasquez
"Okay."
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"So in the bus there were some kids there that they took, young kids, you know, that's crazy. Maybe..."
Jules Vasquez
"But the kids also filled the orange bags."
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"They are not on my payroll, the parents probably put them to accumulate the oranges or so."
"But you know, that's nonsense man. That's nonsense. Nobody is into child labour. We don't look, the day we ever had to depend on child labour, its better you closed your doors, don't even think twice about it."
Jules Vasquez
"How did that immigration bust change the industry?"
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"It changed it because everybody have a labour problem in the country right now. Everybody."
Jules Vasquez
"So you cannot bring in labour the way they used to bring it?"
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"No, no. I used to accept them, they just come and they, you know, we regularize them afterwards?"
Jules Vasquez
"You were also accused of human trafficking. Did you hold any migration documents, any travel documents?"
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"No man. no, no."
Jules Vasquez
"For your workers?"
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"No, man, no, no. The only time I hold any migration documents is when we're in the process of regularizing workers."
Jules Vasquez
"But while during the season, maybe you had agreed with them to work on certain number of weeks."
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"No, I dont hold their papers."
Jules Vasquez
"You never held any?"
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"Oh, no, man, no, no, no, no, no, no."
Jules Vasquez
"Maybe your workers did it on your behalf?"
John Zabaneh, Citrus Farmer
"Neither, neither. That's not the practice of ours."
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