Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers paying through nose to bus back workers

Ludhiana: Facing worst labour shortage for paddy transplantation due to Covid-19 pandemic, farmers are spending between Rs 75,000 and Rs 1 lakh to bring workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The charges for paddy transplantation per acre have doubled this year as compared to the previous year. “Last year, workers had come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in trains for transplantation, but this year due to Covid-19, farmers have to hire buses to bring them from their states. Recently, a group of farmers from our village booked three buses, paid around Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh for each and brought 60 workers from Motihari in Bihar. These workers are staying outside the villages at tube-well rooms and they have given their samples for testing,” said Sudagar Ghudani, general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and farmer from Ghudani village. “Besides, farmers are giving them higher wages for transplantation as compared to last year. In Galoti village and three villages in Malaudh, many farmers have pooled in money and brought farm workers. The whole exercise might delay the transplantation,” he added. The farmer organisations said there was acute labour shortage, but workers were willing to come. Harinder Lakhowal of BKU (Lakhowal) said though there was 60% to 70% labour shortage, workers, who had earlier come for paddy transplantation, were calling up farmers to bring them back as they were penniless there. “Till now, around 10 buses of workers have come to Ludhiana district, which means around 400 labourers have returned. The number will increase manifold soon. The government should run trains to bring them back. They work for 15 hours a day and don’t go inside villages. Only one person from among them goes to bring ration to check virus risk,” said the BKU leader. He added that last year they gave Rs 2,500 per acre for transplantation, but now farmers were paying a minimum of Rs 5,000. “This will reduce the profit of farmers,” he said. Farmers are not only paying more, but also taking care of their needs in the time of pandemic. “We are spending on bringing them from their states and paying them double the wages. We are also ensuring that they get the best food,” said Joga Singh, a farmer from Machhiwara. Samples takenAt Machhiwara, the health department took samples of a group of around 20 migrants who recently came for paddy transplantation.

The Times of India

2020-06-11

Ludhiana