Punjab faces shortage of labour from Bihar: the implications!
Bihari labour in Punjab
Chandigarh: migration of labour from Bihar is indeed a many-sided story – you hear complaints about shortage of labour in the Bihar countryside on a regular basis now. But that is mainly during the seasons when intensive labour is required. Similarly, at the other end, tales of Bihari labour staying away from destinations like Punjab and Gujarat also make frequent news. According to the latest reports, farmers in Punjab are facing an acute shortage of labour after Bihar has improved its government policies and registered a 13% growth rate which is the highest in the country. This has proved to be Punjab’s bane as the paddy season, which began on June 10, has not brought with it usual train loads of laborers from Bihar.
One simple consequence of such shortage is the rise in wages and ‘perks’ at both the ends. But for Bihar, the central question to ask may be – is the pressure of rising wages having any impact on the low agricultural productivity in Bihar? Or is the matter entirely dependent on the size of the holding and the ability of a farmer to invest in agriculture? Do factors like ability and incentive work together in significant number of cases, resulting in high productivity at all?
With limited number of laborers turning up in the state at a time when there is a huge demand for laborers to sow paddy in the fields, the farmers are having to use all their charms so as not to annoy them in any way. “Not only have the rates gone up of labor but the laborers are asking for a slew of incentives which were unheard of till sometime back. We can’t do anything but give in,”said Sardool Singh, a farmer in Bathinda.
Earlier available at the rate of Rs 1200 per acre of labor, the laborers are now asking and getting too, Rs 1800 per acre. This is beside the three meal a day food that farmers are providing for free. “We are even giving daily need items, soaps, clothes, ration,” said Surjit Singh, another farmer, in Ludhiana district.
Punjab keeps a specific paddy sowing period before which farmers cannot begin planting their fields. Beginning from June 10, at least 9 districts, will see several lakh hectares of land going under paddy cultivation. Facing extreme scarcity of farm help, the farmers are resorting to constructing small rooms in the fields, to provide accommodation to the laborers, complete with fans and cots.