Soybean harvest picks up in Buldhana as labourers from Madhya Pradesh arrive; local workers face job worry
Five to six thousand workers from Madhya Pradesh have joined the kharif harvest, but weak rain has raised doubts over rabi work for local labourers.
Images are not validated/verified
The harvest of kharif soybean has now picked up pace in Buldhana district. Rain this year did not fall as expected, so output is likely to be affected. Farmers have nevertheless started harvesting the crop under the prevailing conditions. The harvest season has begun after about three months of cultivation and is likely to continue for another one to two weeks.
A large number of labourers have come to Buldhana district from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh for the soybean harvest. Nearly five to six thousand workers from the Khargone, Betul and Khandwa areas have arrived in the district, and their availability has sped up the harvest. They are cutting soybean in the fields even in the scorching sun.
Once the kharif season ends, these workers will return to Madhya Pradesh. But local labourers will then face a question of employment, which is certain. The very low rainfall this season will hit the rabi season, and rabi sowing will decline as a result. It is no longer certain whether labourers will find work.
It will therefore be important to see whether the district's labourers will have to migrate in search of work, or whether the administration will provide them employment locally.
Employment opportunities in the district are limited and the economy depends on agriculture. After the soybean harvest ends, migration of local labourers to bigger cities is therefore likely to rise. Workers may turn towards cities such as Pune, Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in search of work.
After the kharif work ends, local labourers are likely to face a problem of employment. With less rain in the district this year, farm work in the rabi season is also likely to remain limited. The assurance that all local labourers will get continuous work locally has therefore weakened.
Usually, after November-December, masons and labourers in the construction sector in the district get work. However, because of the low rainfall, the number of house-building and other construction projects is expected to be lower this year. As a result, local employment opportunities are likely to shrink further.
