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Farmers await migrant labourers for paddy plantation in Punjab

Fatehgarh Sahib: As per the Punjab Government instructions, farmers have started planting paddy from Wednesday but they are finding it hard to cultivate the crop as the number of labourers coming from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have dwindled.

Punjabi landlords are reluctant to hire local Dalit labourers as they charge more and it is also felt that their output is less as compared to those from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh. Now the farmers are even ready to offer wine to labourers .

Farmers from adjoining areas were made a beeline outside the Sirhind railway station of district Fatehgarh Sahib in order to get hold of migrant labourers arriving here. Some of the farmers are camping at the railway station for the past couple of days in hope of hiring them in advance so that they can start paddy cultivation on right time as per the Government instructions.

Gunam Singh of Malko Majra said he had been coming to the railway station for the last week but he had not been able to hire anyone .

A leader of farmers union said that to cultivate one acre four labourers are needed. Many farmers with acres of land have not been able to get even a single labourer this sowing season.

One of the reason being given for this shortage is that the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Governments have started several development projects in the respective States and thus compelling labourers to hire jobs in their home towns.

The farmers are becoming more and more apprehensive about incurring huge losses as late sowing of paddy can lead to low yields.

Amarjit Singh of Bagh Sikander village said it was almost impossible to cultivate the fields without migrant labourers.

“In case we do not get them, the season can prove to be a disaster for us,” he lamented.

He said that he is ready to offer wine to attract labourer. He said earlier food is provided but now to tackle problem of labour shortage he is ready to offer liquor.

The paddy transplantation in Punjab started from Wednesday after the State government asked the farmers to avoid paddy sowing before the month of June in view of declining water table in the State.

The seriousness of the situation could be gauged from the fact that over 90 per cent of paddy sowing in Punjab is done by migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The labour scarcity would pose serious problems for the State farmers as far as paddy sowing is concerned.

“Punjabi farmers are now totally depended upon migrant labourers for their agricultural operation requirements. In such a scenario (labour shortage), you could well imagine how tough the going would be for farmers when they start paddy sowing ,” said a senior official of agriculture department.

Though the agriculture department’s efforts to create awareness on mechanised transplantation of paddy, had already held a demonstration of paddy-transplantation machine at village of district Fatehgarh Sahib, but all the farmers are not in position to use it. -- PTI

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