Lack of farm labourers leaves farmers in lurch

MGNREGS fails to provide workers enough jobs at home

Farmers in the taluk who are already reeling under severe drought, now have to deal with lack of agricultural labour. Many workers are migrating to towns and urban areas in search of livelihoods as the monsoon has failed in the region.

Farmers complain that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme does not provide sufficient jobs to the needy, besides, the scheme does not reach many. With no source to generate income, many are leaving their villages for towns.

‘Self help’

“It is very difficult to find labourers these days. We are forced to do all the work at our fields,” said farmers here. Many have sold cattle to meet their demands.

As a result, farmers are now forced to till the land by themselves, said farmers, Narayanswami, Ganesh and Venkatarayappa. “We have no money to buy a tractor. With no suitable price awarded for the crops grown, the farmers feel they are left in lurch.”

‘Ensure benefits reach’

Announcing a slew of projects for farmers and allocating funds in the budget are not sufficient to address farmers’ problems. Instead, the government and the authorities concerned should ensure the benefits reach the needy, they said.

Besides, the authorities should fix the scientific price to help farmers. But the government seem to be oblivious to the farmers’ plight and continue to make blind promises, every year, they remarked.