Labour scarcity has become a hurdle in the cotton harvesting process in Yadgir district. Due to the non-availability of labour, particularly women, a majority of farmers have left cotton unpicked.
Farmers in the district have chosen cotton as a major crop for the kharif season. However, there is labour scarcity as farmers start picking cotton manually at the same time.
According to data available with the Agriculture Department, cotton cultivation has been taken up in a higher quantum of area than the target.
It was sown in 2,04,474 hectares against the targeted area of 1,85,999 hectares. Out of the sown area, approximately one lakh hectare has been damaged due to the recent rain and floods.
And, labour scarcity has become a hurdle in the harvesting process.
“Each woman labour charges ₹200 for four to four-and-a-half hours of work to pick cotton. Instead, I hired workers on contract basis paying them ₹15 for picking one kilogram of cotton,” Vijay Kumar Gulgi, a farmer of Satyampet village, told The Hindu.
Cotton-picking process through labour consumes more time and this is also one reason for labour scarcity.
Machines for cotton picking are available. But farmers do not use machines due to many reasons, including the cost they have to pay.
“A majority of individual farmers are small and the area they sow cotton in is very small. It will be very expensive for them to invest money for hiring machines,” Gulagi said.
Meanwhile, the district administration has set up 29 cotton procurement centres and of them, nine are now functioning. The remaining will function on demand.
Despite procurement centres, farmers opt to go to private buyers citing delays in the registration and payment process there.
Deputy Director of APMC Shivakumar Desai denied allegations of delay. He said that after the online process was introduced at the beginning of November, 20,000 farmers have already registered and payment will be made to them in three days after procuring cotton from them.
He also said that ₹8,110 per quintal of first quality cotton and ₹7,750 per quintal of second quality will be given.
Farmers are also saying that private buyers go directly to their fields and purchase cotton making payment on the spot. The buyers transport cotton on their own.
“The rates fixed by private buyers is ₹7,110 per quintal of first quality cotton and ₹6,200 per quintal of second quality,” sources said.
