This story is from June 20, 2020

Migrant hands hold Saurashtra farms steady

Migrant hands hold Saurashtra farms steady
When lockdown began, many migrant labourers stayed back as Amreli farms had standing crop of groundnut, cumin and sesame and onions were getting ready for harvesting in April, said a Savarkundla farmer.
RAJKOT: While the migrant labour crisis has hit the industrial productions across the state, it seems to have hardly impacted the agriculture sector in Saurashtra region. The primary reason being that the farm labourers are not hired on daily wages or paid salaries.
They are mostly offered 25% partnership by the farmers for cultivating their land. This means, labourers will get one-fourth of the total yield, besides facilities like place to stay and food.

Most of the farmers in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Jamnagar and Devbhumi Dwarka district give farmland for cultivation on contract, where the labourers get 25-30% of the yield.
Majority of the farm labourers working in Saurashtra region come from districts like Panchmahal, Dahod, Godhra, Chhota Udepur and neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh.
With the beginning of the Kharif season, the Saurashtra farmers have started sowing groundnut and cotton without worrying about shortage of labourers.
Samrabhai Gogra, who has farm between Chotila and Than in Surendrangar district has begun sowing groundnut. “I have 27 migrant farm labourer working in my farm. When the lockdown started I assured them safety here and provided them with food and a place to live. I assured them minimum wage plus food even when there was no work.”

There are many farmers like Gogra, who have provided facilities to labourers during lockdown and prevented them from going back to their natives. In some cases where the labourers had gone back, many are returning for Kharif season.
A farmer leader in Surendranagar Ratan Dodiya said, “There are about 30 lakh migrant labourers working across Saurashtra. They are given Rs 10,000 as advance on arrival and thereafter before harvesting they are given Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh advance which is then adjusted with the yield.”
Girdhar Vaghela a farmer of Bhanvad taluka in Jamnagar said, “A farmer usually continues with the same set of labourers for years. Sowing doesn’t require much help. They will be required three-four weeks later.”
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About the Author
Nimesh Khakhariya

Nimesh Khakhariya is an assistant editor with Times Of India.

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