Shortage Of Skilled Migrant Labour Has Hit The Harvesting

[kdsingh80]

Shortage of skilled migrant labour has hit the harvesting

Monday, 18 April 2011 19:56

Punjab News - Patiala

Patiala, April 18

Drugs, liqour, food and free lodging are some of the temptations with which the rich farmers are luring the labourers to harvest their crop and take it to the market. While local labour is hard to find, the migrants have started demanding high wages.

Shortage of skilled migrant labour has hit the harvesting operations across the state. It has also sounded the alarm bells for the paddy season ahead.

The main worry is the fact that Punjabis refuse to work in the fields till they are promised intoxicants, especially poppy husk and opium, in addition to their wages.

“The rates have gone up from Rs 2,000 per acre to Rs 4,000 which at times excludes the cost that a farmer incurs to keep the labour happy”, claims Samana farmer Hardeep Singh.

The big farmer can ill-afford to antogonise the labour that demands poppy husk, if he has to get the wheat harvested before the next spell of rain. Many labourers take drugs to work tirelessly in the fields.

Said farm hand Harnam Singh of Jahlan village: “Till the time the landlord distributes poppy husk, how can we work in the scorching sun? Our daily quota is fixed.”

The state is undergoing labour pains ahead of the paddy sowing season that officially starts from June 10. The Punjabi farmer is looking out for the migrant labour from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Nabha farmer Harjeet Singh said he had decided to employ women labourers as they were efficient and worked without any demand for liqour. He has 15 women working in his fields but is still short of 20.

http://www.punjabstarnews.com/Patiala/Shortage-of-skilled-migrant-labour-has-hit-the-harvesting.html

[dalsingh101]

Farmers have been getting doped up to harvest since a long time. Why make a fuss about it now?