Kashmir: Exodus of migrant labourers affect harvesting

Harvesting paddy and apples have emerged as a major challenge for farmers in Kashmir due to the exodus of non-local workforce, as deficiency of labourers have sent wages skyrocketing.

Most of the skilled and unskilled labourers, who come from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Punjab, fled from the Valley after the Center abrogated Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K's) special status under Article 370 on August 5.

Apart from working in developmental projects, these laborers were also involved in harvesting of paddy and apples. The sudden exodus of non-local labourers has not only caused a huge loss to the contractors, who were carrying out government works, but the workforce deficiency is also casting a dark shadow on the harvest as the process has to be completed within a specific time frame.

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“For the last one week I have been travelling to different areas in search of labourers. After lot of travelling, I was successful in finding a few labourers at a far-off place. But they were unwilling to work during day time,” said Abdul Rahim Rather, a farmer from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

His paddy fields are spread over three-acres and he has to hire labourers for every activity. “From sowing to harvesting, I used to hire non-local labourers as they were easily available, besides charging lesser wages. However, the local labourers are charging double the money now and are not easily available,” he said and added local labourers also demand accommodation and food while the non-locals would arrange it themselves.

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The orchardists are also in deep anxiety not only because of threats from militants, but due to non-availability of labourers. “On one side militants have threatened apple traders to keep their shops in fruit mandis shut while on the other, we face labor shortage. We have to rely on the local workforce, but they are limited in number and in some cases unwilling to work in orchids which are far-away from villages,” said Waheed Wani, a fruit grower from Shopian.

He said the harvesting has to be completed within a specific time and inordinate delay is casting a shadow on the crop. “There is every likelihood that this year, growers will have to suffer huge losses due to the prevailing situation,” he rued.