Doaba farmers bring back migrant labourers for sowing

JALANDHAR: In absence of migrant labourers, who left for their native states amid the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers in the Doaba region had little choice but to hire high-priced local labour for sowing and transplanting paddy. Some enterprising farmers also made arrangements to bring back the migrant labour.

Paddy transplantation had begun in the state from June 10, which was ten days in advance because of labour shortage. However, due to shortage of migrants, most of farmers are still transplanting paddy and also paying higher wages than the previous years.

Transplantation traditionally begins on June 20 and lasts around 20 days.

Jagjit Shergill of Bajwara village in Hoshiarpur said he had hired local village women for sowing paddy. He is paying each labourer Rs 4,000 per acre.

“I decided to transplant paddy on 10 acres of my land against last year’s 20 acres as this year the process is proving to be very costly. There is shortage labour and there is no clarity on the MSP rate of paddy,” Shergill said.

He said that migrants were demanding Rs 5,000 per acre while he had paid them Rs 3,100 last year.

Harmanveer Singh, a farmer from Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district, said all his labourers had gone to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and the ones that had stayed behind were demanding Rs 4,500-Rs 5,000 for sowing paddy as compared to last year’s Rs 2,800-Rs 3,200.

‘LOCALS TAKE LONGER, WASTE PADDY’

TRANSPLANTATION TRADITIONALLY BEGINS ON JUNE 20 AND LASTS AROUND 20 DAYS. BUT THIS TIME, DUE TO SHORTAGE OF LABOUR, IT WAS DELAYED

“I hired some local people who had recently lost the job and paid them Rs 3,500 per acre. Though they took more time and also wasted some of the paddy but it solved my problem,” Harmanveer said. He owns 60 acres of land. Sukhpreet Singh of Mahal village in Jalandhar a group of farmers from the village had collaborated to bring 33 migrants from Bihar. It cost Rs 4,500 to bring each labourer.

“Covid-19 has made paddy sowing very expensive for farmers. We have almost spent double the amount we usually spend,” he said. A driver, Sundeep Kumar, who was fired by a leather factory, said, “I was unable to find work. My family is dependent on me so I have been working in fields for the last two weeks and have earned Rs 500.

District agriculture officer Naresh Gulati said some farmers had brought back the migrants while some had opted for direct sowing by machines.