Workers from Bengal in action at Ranipet farmlands

RANIPET: After the success of employing migrant labourers from West Bengal in transplanting operations in Nemili taluk, the demand for their services by other farmers kept increasing due to which another batch of 16 workers have arrived in Siruvalayam village, sources said.

It may be recalled that these columns on April 10 highlighted how the migrant workers worked more for less pay and covered more than double the area usually covered when locals were employed.

When word spread about availability and efficiency of migrant labourers, demands for their services were received from as far away as Arakkonam, Balakrishnapuram, Valarpuram, Thanigai Polur, Sirukarumbur and Vegamangalam villages, all of which have been hit hard by a dearth of labour for transplanting paddy to the main field from the nurseries, according to farmer Subash Naidu, who first initiated their stay in the village.

Meanwhile, local farmers citing the arrival of migrant labourers made efforts to roust out locals for the same task and succeeded in getting 12 women for transplanting operations in Ulianallur village in the same taluk. “However, the women are able to cover only 1.50 acres per day as against the 4 acres covered by the migrants which means additional expenses for us farmers when we hire them,” a local farmer lamented.

But, it is not farmers alone who are feeling the dearth of labourers. Subash Naidu told DT Next that a Vellore based private university made enquiries whether the migrants would be available for farm work in their area. “I told them that it was up to their agent to send them where required and there matters rest,” he said.

Black storks, unwelcome migrant

Another unwelcome migrant over the last few days are black storks – not the usual white variety which farmers are used to – which local sources said are from abroad. “Our main job is to chase them away by firing crackers as they destroy fields,” Mukundan a farmer said.