KARIMNAGAR: Widespread rainfall over the past three days has accelerated paddy transplantation across the erstwhile Karimnagar district, prompting farmers to increasingly rely on migrant labourers to tackle a shortage of local agricultural workers during the Kharif season.
Migrant workers from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have arrived in several villages to take up transplantation work. Farmers say the shortage of local farm labour has worsened in recent years, making migrant workers indispensable during the cultivation period.
Many workers migrate to Telangana between June and August, when employment opportunities are limited in their native places. Raju Yadav, a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh working in Peddapalli district, said he travels to Telangana every year in search of work and returns home next month.
According to farmers, each migrant worker earns around Rs 500 a day. A group of workers can complete paddy transplantation on one acre in about half a day, charging around Rs 5,000 per acre, which is divided among the team members.
Farmer Ganga Rajaiah said migrant labourers are preferred because they complete transplantation within the required timeframe, allowing farmers to make the most of favourable weather conditions.
The reliance on migrant labour extends beyond cultivation. During paddy procurement, agencies also hire hamali workers from Bihar and other states for loading, unloading, weighing and bagging operations.