Telangana: Migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh transplant paddy in Siddipet

The migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh charges less than what the local workers for paddy transplantation

Siddipet: As the paddy transplantation of Vanakalam crop was in full swing across the Siddipet district, several workers from Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country were coming to Siddipet to eke out a livelihood by working in the paddy fields here.

The migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh were charging less than what the local workers for paddy transplantation. While the Uttar Pradesh workers were charging Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per acre depending on the field, the local workers were charging Rs 7,500 per acre. Due to the lack of workforce in the villages, the transplantation will be delayed if the farmers depend on the local workers. However, the Uttar Pradesh workers will transplant the paddy in a systematic line (called Japan transplantation), which was also giving increased yield. Unlike in Telangana, the migrant labourers involved in the transplantation were men.

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Speaking to Telangana Today, Thaneer Srinivas, a paddy farmer of Ponnala village, a 20-member team from Uttar Pradesh will transplant eight acres a day. The 20-member team had completed the transplantation of six acres of paddy field of Srinvas apart from completing another two acres of his neighbour. The migrant workers have come from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, which is being represented by Varun Gandhi in Lok Sabha. Over 230 workers had arrived in Siddipet district in a team.

They were working in different villages across the district finding work with the help of a contractor. Ramji, one of the 20 workers engaged in paddy transplantation said they would earn not less than Rs 1,000 per day and their earnings will be maximum of Rs 2,000 on some days. After working for two to three months, they would return to to their native places with handsome earnings. Another worker, Ram Tiwari said that the soils in Telangana were very friendly for transplantation unlike in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He has said that the people of Telangana would also receive them warmly. After seeing their quick work, most of the farmers were giving a Rs 500 incentive. Farmer Udara Venkata Reddy, who got his five acres of paddy transplanted by engaging migrant workers, has said that serving of curd is a must for their workers during lunch since they would love to curd the most.