Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Scarcity of labourers: farmers go for mechanisation

R. Sundaram

Demand to start paddy procurement centre in every Panchayat Union

MODERN FARMING: Farmers using paddy harvester at Palliyuthu area in LBP ayacut. - Photo: M. Govarthan .

ERODE: Shortage of farm labourers has forced paddy farmers of Lower Bhavani Project Ayacut area in Erode district to go for mechanisation. Many have started using harvesters.

Delay

"Harvest wasdelayed owing to labour shortage and out of 25,000 hectares in the LBP ayacut, the paddy was raised only in 15,000 to 20,000 acres,'' said President of the LBP Ryots Association C. Nallasamy.

Exorbitant wages

Mr Nallasamy said the available agricultural labourers were demanding exorbitant wages and because of this the farmers were incurring loss.

Some farmers in Palliyuthu area near Arachalure, who were using harvesters, said charges for paddy harvesters had increased.

Haystack

This year they paid Rs. 1,200 an hour for the harvester.

It would take one-and- a-half hours for an acre of land. This was higher than last year.

Farmers said if the harvester was used, length of the haystack would be reduced. They were getting only around Rs. 1,800 to 2,000 for the haystack collected from an acre.

If the paddy was harvested manually they used to get lengthy haystack, which fetches more than Rs. 3,000.

As there are only five paddy procurement centres in the Erode and Bhavani areas farmers face problems.

The farmers have requested the collector to start a paddy procurement centre in every Panchayat Union.

The agricultural department said during Samba and Kariff season (from April to December) paddy has been raised over 91,000 hectares of land and in LBP area only the crop has been raised over 25,000.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Scarcity of labourers: farmers go for mechanisation
7 contesting for two local body posts
Rs. 81.74 lakh for classrooms
Milk price up by Rs. 2 a litre

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu