Farmers to cap paddy transplant wages

Tribune News Service

Karnal, June 8

With the mass exodus of migrant workers, who went back to their native states after the Covid-induced lockdown, the paddy sowing season that officially begins from June 15 is facing an unprecedented crisis.

The sowing depends heavily on domestic farm labourers, who are demanding higher wages, forcing local farmers to put a cap on the paddy transplant wages.

Labourers unhappy

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Labourers are not happy with the decision. A farm labourer said there should not be such tough restrictions on them as they were free to demand their wages according to the efforts they put in their work.

Farmers of Budhanpur Viran village near Nissing, around 17 km from the district headquarters, fixed the wages of paddy transplantation for local labourers after holding a meeting on Tuesday. “We have the fixed paddy transplantation wages and no farmer will pay more than Rs 2,700 per acre to labour. Those paying above the fixed wages will be fined Rs 21,000,” said Amrit Dhillon, a farmer.

He said local labourers had raised their wages for paddy transplantation last year after the mass exodus of migrants due to the Covid-induced lockdown.

“We had paid the local labourers Rs 2,700-3,000 last year against Rs 2,200-2,400 charged by the migrants, but this year they have been demanding Rs 3,500 per acre for the transplantation,” said Gurumukh Singh, another farmer. He said the input cost of the farmers was increasing day by day. The diesel rate is nearing Rs 90 and the cost of seed, fertilisers and other input items have also increased manifold. “No farmer will pay more than Rs 2,700 per acre. If anyone pays more than what is decided, he will be fined,” said an elderly farmer, adding that if local labourers tried to oppose it, the entire village would support each other. “The local labourers rely on farmers for their livelihood. We have also asked them to complete the transplantation first in our village and then they are free to work elsewhere,” he added.

On the other hand, the local labourers are not happy with the decision. A farm labourer, on the condition of anonymity, said there should not be such hard restrictions on the labourers as they were free to demand their wages according to their efforts.