Labour shortage shoots paddy transplantation cost Farmers are forced to hire farmworkers from outside the State by paying higher wages

Due to a shortage of farmworkers, farmers in the region have been compelled to hire workers from other states such as Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, often at significantly higher wages. In some cases, farmers are paying double the wages given to local workers. Female workers from other states are paid between Rs 500 to Rs 600 a day, while male workers earn Rs 1,000 a day.
Additionally, farmers are providing free transport, tea, and snacks to the workers, which has become an added financial burden. For example, the cost of transplanting paddy on an acre of land has risen to Rs 6,000, up from Rs 4,000-4,500 two years ago. The decision to hire migrant workers has been driven by the need to save time, as their services allow for faster completion of the work.
To address the shortage of labour, farmers have turned to both farm mechanisation and migrant laborers. The lack of sufficient farm machinery has made manual transplantation of paddy a more viable option, as it can yield better results. Migrant workers from places such as Kolkata, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Bihar, Odisha, and Bengal are now a common sight in the fields.
In some cases, locals are arranging accommodation for these migrant workers, striking deals with farmers to supply them with the labour force while making substantial profits by charging higher rates.
According to officials, the total area for paddy cultivation in the district during the current Yasangi (rabi) season is expected to reach 1,91,351 acres. As a result, the demand for migrant workers has surged, as they tend to work in groups and complete tasks more efficiently.
Their fee for transplanting paddy ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per acre, with some workers in high-demand areas charging up to Rs 6000 per acre. Farmers generally hire workers on a daily basis to meet the demand.
Babul, a migrant laborer from Kolkata, shared that he earns Rs 2,000 a day by working from dawn to dusk in the fields. He and his fellow workers are employed for about two months each season, and the farmers take good care of them. Mangal, another worker from Kolkata, explained that in their home state, they struggle to find work.
He emphasised that migrant workers transplant paddy more efficiently than local farmerworkers.
Mallareddy, an agent from Gundlapalli, has been bringing around 560 workers from West Bengal annually for the kharif and rabi seasons for the past eight years to help farmers cope with the labor shortage.