BHUBANESWAR: With rabi paddy ready for harvest, prediction of India Meteorological Department of a possible rain accompanied by wind in Odisha coast has unnerved the farmers.
Amid acute shortage of labourers due to prolonged lockdown in the wake of rapid spread of coronavirus, a major problem faced by farmers is a scarcity of trained persons to operate combined harvesters, a versatile machine designed to efficiently harvest a variety of grain crops at low cost.
A large number of harvesting machines are lying idle due to non-availability of operators, who mostly come from Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and West Bengal.
The scarcity of operators prevails even after the State Government’s announcement to facilitate the movement of trained manpower from Punjab and Haryana.
Two weeks ago chief spokesperson of the Government on COVID, Subroto Bagchi had stated during his daily briefing that the Government will bring 30 combined harvester operators to the State. The Government has failed to keep its promise.
“Agents of some combined harvester owners, who have arranged operators from West Bengal, are charging an exorbitant price to the farmers. Against a normal cost of Rs 2,200 per hour, the asking price now is Rs 2,800 per hour,” said Samarendra Singh, a farmer of Gop block in Puri district.
After the IMD prediction of possible rains, it has become difficult to hire a machine. Non-availability of harvesting machines and shortage of labourers are giving the farmers sleepless nights, Singh added.
The State has around 2,000 harvesting machines and a majority of them are owned by outsiders either from Andhra Pradesh or West Bengal.
Though many operators from Punjab and Haryana come with their machines for harvest during kharif and rabi seasons every year, the restriction on movement of machine and manpower have created a huge problem for farmers.
“If a farmer hires labourers, he has to pay Rs 4,500 (Rs 300 each to 15 labourers) for crop cutting in an acre. Harvesting through machines costs only Rs 2,200. Hence, many prefer harvesters,” Singh said.
“Around 20 per cent of the paddy crop in western and coastal districts are harvested, another unseasonal rain will be like the last straw on the camel’s back,” said former MLA Pradip Purohit who hails from Bargarh district. Everything else can wait, not agriculture. Farmers are under huge loan burden., he added.