Farm labour cost up due to shortage of migrants

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 7

Restrictions on the inflow of seasonal migrants from UP and Bihar for paddy transplantation have pushed up the labour charges in the rural belt. The prices have touched as high as Rs 5,000 per acre.

Even though the government had fixed June 10 for the beginning of paddy transplantation, the recent rain in the area has caused water-logging in fields and farmers are taking advantage of the situation.

A farmer from Malawali village here said, “The labour is asking for Rs 5,000 per acre. Last year, we had paid Rs 3,000. The shortage of migrant workers has increased demand for the local labour.” He said the farmers had planned a meeting to negotiate the prices with workers.

Another farmer from the Kahnuwan block of Gurdaspur, who has already transplanted 10 acre, said, “We are paying Rs 5,000 per acre while it was Rs 2,800 per acre last year.”

A farmer said, “My relatives had a few migrant workers. As they have to start the paddy work from June 10, they asked me to use the labour till then.” He added that even transplant machine owners were demanding Rs 5,000 per acre.

The paddy transplantation charges last year were between Rs 2,700 and Rs 3,300 per acre. Most of the paddy transplantation work in the state is done by migrant workers. Even farmers prefer migrants workers over the local labour as they are more trained.

“Four migrant workers usually transplant an acre in a day. On the other hand, local labour groups have women and children who are slow and take more time,” said Mohabat Pal from the Bhikhiwind area.