Paddy harvest peaks, farmers grapple with shortage of labour
FARMERS SPENDING NIGHTS AT MAJOR RAILWAY JUNCTIONS TO ROPE IN LABOURERS SOON AFTER THEY GET OFF TRAINS
KARNAL:Paddy growers in several districts of the state are facing a severe shortage of labourers at a time when the paddy harvesting season has hit its peak and over half of the overall crop is yet to be reaped.
To make up for the rising demand, harried farmers are spending nights at major railway junctions such as Ambala, Yamunanangar, Kurukshetra and Karnal and are seen making all-out efforts to please labour contractors soon after the migrant labourers get off trains coming from states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“We have no other option as the crop is ready for harvesting and it cannot be delayed anymore. But labourers have not arrived in adequate numbers. We are here for the last 12 hours waiting for trains coming from Bihar,” said Ram Pal, farmer, who was sitting at the Jagadhri railway station.
COSTOFHARVESTING GOESUP,SAYFARMERS
Several farmers said the overall harvesting cost as gone up as labourers have increased their going rate.
“The labourers have increased their rate from ₹5,000 to ₹7,000 for harvesting one-acre land. Even as we offered extra payment to them, nobody is ready to go with us yet,” Ram Pal said. Besides, several farmers were seen offering the labourers tea, snacks and sweets outside the railway stations and making arrangements for their transportation.
BANONSTUBBLE BURNINGTOBLAME?
The farmers said the government’s decision to ban burning of paddy stubble has also resulted in the labour crisis as many farmers are avoiding harvesting with combine harvesters, which spreads the paddy straw in the fields. As a result, the demand for manual reaping has shot up.
“Wecanuse combineharvestersbutnowthegovernmentdoes not allow us to burn the paddy straw,” said Ishwar Singh, a farmer from Yamunanagar.
Also, the farmers avoid harvesting of long-grained varieties of basmati with combine harvesters as they have to face a cut in prices while selling their produce. The crop harvested manually fetches them better price.
From transplantation to harvesting of paddy, farmers in the state depend on migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
“More than 90 per cent of labourers come from Bihar. There is no dearth of labourers this time but they are not settling at the wages offered and are looking for a better deal,” said Dharamveer Singh, a farmers’ union leader.