As paddy sowing season begins, farmers in Punjab await the return of migrant labourers from states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. While some are coming back, a large section of the highly skilled labourers are yet to show up mainly due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown that has restricted movement across the country. Dearth of labourers also threatens to mount costs for the farmers with the per-acre wage going up from Rs 1,700-2,000 in pre-Covid times to Rs 3,000 at present.
Skillset is another major concern why local labourers are not favoured. “The migrant labourers have a knack of sowing each paddy seedling transplanted into the ready field. Not one seedling goes waste. Due to their precision, the overall production from paddy sown by these labourers is double when compared to the output of local labourers.”
For generations, some labourers have been coming to Punjab at the time of paddy sowing. They are given some amount as advance when they leave after sowing is complete on the promise that they will return next year with more labourers to finish the task. Some are pre-booked with an advance on a mutually agreed price.
The farmers make arrangements the migrants’ accommodation and food at the paddy fields for an average 15-day period that is required for sowing. Their cost of stay is also half than that of local labourers as they are as demanding, said a farmer. In Mansa, labourers are being brought from Haryana.
This year, many are resorting to direct sowing into wetland with the help of machines called paddy seeders. However, despite government efforts for the machine’s promotion, farming is still done largely through transplantation.
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