Farmers Movement Archive

Fields of opportunity

SURESH Kumar, a vegetable grower of Kharkari Makhwan village in Bhiwani district, used to reap dividends every year. He also provided employment to labourers in his fields. However, the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have upset his economic plans. He was unable to sell his tomato grown on 22 acres, of which 17 acres was taken on lease. He struggled to even recover the input cost this season. In a cascade effect, he could not retain the services of the landless labourers employed in his fields.“The labour is required for plucking, grading and transportation. But in the absence of a market, a large section remained without work. About 1,000 landless workers got employment during the vegetable season in our village. But, this time, due to crop failure, hardly 10 per cent of them could get work,” he says.Suresh says the kharif season has started and the labour is needed for work such as paddy plantation. “The return of migrant farm workers to their native places has provided an opportunity to the local landless labour to get employed in the fields this season.”The sarpanch of Miran village (Bhiwani), Ashok Kumar, says they offered work under MGNREGA to about 150 registered workers, even as there is enough agricultural work for the labourers. “So far, the scheme workers have not got mandatory 100 days’ employment, but our village has about 7,200 acres of cultivable land and labourers have adequate opportunities to work in the fields,” he adds.Inderjit Singh, president of Kisan Sabha, says the rural employment situation has aggravated since the imposition of the lockdown as many workers have been rendered jobless in the organised and unorganised sectors.MGNREGA can go a long way in compensating for the lack of demand as rural economy had been witnessing a slowdown even before Covid-19, he adds. “Expansion and strengthening of MGNREGA, with at least doubling of work days from 100 to 200 as well as enhancement of wages, could have put some cash into the pocket of small farmers and agricultural workers, which in turn could have improved the much-needed demand component. For this to happen, there should be a handsome increase in the MGNREGA allocation from the Rs 20 lakh crore package announced during the lockdown,” demands Inderjit Singh.The Kisan Sabha leader says paddy plantation work is suffering as skilled migrant workers are staying put in their home states, mainly Bihar and UP. To make matters worse, plantation rates are being unilaterally fixed at some places to put a cap on the wages of the labourers. This issue could have been settled by compensating a part of the plantation wages through MGNREGA. A suggestion to this effect was made jointly by the Kisan Sabha and Khet Mazdoor Union, he adds.Prof Samar Singh, Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), admits that farmers suffered due to the lockdown as their farm products could not reach the market. He says farmers need to diversify their activities to boost their income. “HAU is offering short-term skill programmes in various other agricultural activities like apiculture, food and confectionery, value addition in agricultural products etc. The Centre of Food Science and Technology initiated programmes to help farmers manage the situation during the pandemic. The university is also supporting them by setting up small-scale industries at the farmers’ level with focus on post-harvest management and value addition,” he adds.Need to diversifyProf Samar Singh, Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, says farmers need to diversify their activities to boost their income. “HAU is supporting farmers by setting up small-scale industries with focus on post-harvest management and value addition,” he says.

The Tribune

2020-07-27