Shortage of farm labourers hits hard boro cultivation

Crisis of farm labourers in the ongoing boro season mainly due to the potato price debacle during the recent harvesting time has forced many farmers-cum labourers to migrate to other places for livelihood.
The marginal farmers-cum labourers, who have lost most of their investments in the current potato season, are migrating to big cities in quest of fresh jobs, farmers and experts said.
The shortage of agricultural labourers may affect overall boro production resulting in wage hike of the existing workers thus intensifying the woes of the cultivators, they said.
Experts also opined that increase in the wage of labourers is a good sign for the rural economy but it should be compensated also with good prices for crops.
"We are in a severe labourer crisis this year. Labour charge has increased to Tk 320-350 per day which was Tk 230-250 in the potato and Aman farming seasons," Md Shahinur Rahman (Suja), a farmer at Ramnagar Union in Nilphamari Sadar upazila told the FE.
"I have incurred a huge loss in the just passed potato season along with two of my 'adhiars' (share croppers)," he said.
"Boro plantation has been completed on seven out of my twelve bighas of land. Three bighas (per bigha 30 decimal in the area) are yet to be cultivated due to labourer crisis," he said.
He said that many of the share croppers, who also work as farm labourers, have migrated to big cities like Dhaka, Chittagong in search of jobs.
"Their disappearance has created a severe labourer shortage in our area," he said.
Md Akbar Ali Mridha, a farmer at Ziarukhi union in Kushtia Sadar upazila said prices of all inputs including fertiliser, seed, tractor, irrigation and, labourers have increased nearly by 20-25 per cent this year.
"Labourer shortage has been a big problem here as marginal farmers are migrating to towns or shifting to other professions", he said.
"If the price of paddy falls during the harvesting season, it would be disastrous for us," he said.  Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) director general Abu Hanif Mian said that despite increase in input price, acreage is likely to be increased in the current boro season due to higher price of rice in the market.
He informed the FE that DAE has achieved 95 per cent of the targeted 4.8 million hectares of land by March 10.
"The achievement will surpass 4.8 million hectares by the end of the third week of the current month," he said.
However, the government has targeted to produce 18.9 million tonnes of rice in this boro season against 18.759 million tonnes last year.    
Farm economist ASM Golam Hafiz Kennedy said agro labourer crisis may hit boro production. "Due to shortage of workforce per hectare yield may reduce and it should also encourage farmers for using more herbicide," he observed.  
Unprofitable agriculture is causing migration of farmers, he said.
"Either they are migrating to big cities for pulling rickshaws, being workers at garment factories and so on or they are living in the villages but shifting to other professions as industries are also shifting to rural and sub-urban areas," he said.