A Close Look On The Condition of Agricultural Labours in Barpeta District

A Close Look On The Condition of Agricultural Labors in Barpeta District

Mr. Dipankar Choudhury
Lecturer, Department of Mathematics.
Bhawanipur Anchalik College, Bhawanipur

Introduction:

Agriculture and its allied sectors is unquestionably the largest livelihood provider in India, more so in the vast rural areas. It contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our country. Sustainable agriculture, in terms of food security, rural employment, and environmentally sustainable technologies such as soil conservation, sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity protection is essential for holistic rural development.
The rapid growth and diversification of development activities resulted in much needed expansion of employment opportunities; but, at the same time have triggered rural to urban migration. This trend has inadvertently resulted in shifting of farm labor to non-farm sectors. To sustain food security, it is imperative to encourage farmers to continue with agriculture, where the rural youth have a crucial role to play.
India has the largest youth population in the world and is poised to increase further in the coming decade. Nearly 70% of India’s population is below the age of 35 years, making India the
Youngest nation in the world and interestingly 70% of them live in rural areas. According to 2011 Census, the youth population in the country including adolescent youth is around 550 million. In 2020, the average Indian age will be only 29-year-old, whereas in China and the United States of America the average age is estimated to be 37 years. We may utilize this demographic dividend for taking Indian agriculture to a new height by channelizing the creative energies of the youth through development of skills, knowledge and attitudes.
The economy of Assam is predominantly agricultural based, as about 85% of the populations live on agricultural activities for their livelihood and 15 % is dependent on allied services. The total geographical area of the State is 78.483 lakh hectare. Gross cropped area of the State is 41,59,977 hectare out of which net area shown is 28,10,597 hectare which is 35.81% of the geographical area of Assam.
       Today, agriculture and allied sectors are facing several challenges like aging farmer population, climate change resulting in high incidence of pest and diseases and most importantly the escalating cost of production. India is losing more than 2,000 farmers every single day and that since 1991, the overall number of farmers has dropped by 15 million (Sainath, 2013). This has several implications for the future of Indian agriculture and India’s food security. Young farmers can play an important role in ensuring food security if they are encouraged to involve in farming and the challenges they face are addressed. Over the past few years, rural youth have been shying away from agriculture and globally there is an increasing interest in finding ways of engaging youth in agriculture (IFAD, 2012; Paisley, 2013). In proffer to address this trend, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has always been endeavoring to empower youth with appropriate technologies.
This study is conducted to know the social status of the agricultural workers of the Barpeta district, to study the condition of their works and to know the magnitude of agricultural labours of Barpeta district.

POSITION OF AGRICULTURAL WORKER:

Agricultural workers are provided mostly by economically and socially backward section; poor section for the tribes also swells their ranks. It may be divided into four categories-
(a) Landless workers who are personally independent but who work exclusively for others.
(b) Petty farmers with tiny bits of land who devote most of their time working for others.
(c) Farmers who have economic holding but who have one or more of their sons and dependents workings for others prosperous farmers.
(d) Land less workers who are attached to the landlords.
The category (d) have to work for their principals or masters but their earn can’t shift to them timely. The other groups mentioned above (a, b and c) are also important but the problems of land less workers is the most serious problems in the rural areas. The percentage of land less workers as a proportion of rural worker force has increased from 16 percent in 1991 to 29 percent in 2001. Official data further shows that about 61 percent of the rural households either have no land or hold uneconomic holding of less than 1 hectare. These 61 percent of households in Barpeta of Assam. Total farming family of the District is 1,81,805 and total agricultural area is 3,30,000 hectare. 60 percent agricultural workers have less than 1 hectare holdings. The increase in the number of agricultural worker has resulted from increase in the size of population decline of cottage and village industries eviction of small farmers, uneconomic holding growing indebtedness and growth of capitalist farming.

CAUSES OF THE POOR ECONOMIC CONDITION OF FARM LABOUR :

[1] Unorganized – Agricultural laborers in Barpeta of Assam are totally unrecognized as they are ignorant illiterate and widely scattered. Thus the farm workers have no capacity to bargain for securing a fair wage level.
[2] Low social status – Farm workers mostly belong to depressed classes and thus they are lacking the courage to assert their basic rights.
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[3] Seasonal unemployment – As the agricultural operations are seasonal thus the farm worker are often facing the problem of seasonal unemployment and under-employment. Farm workers on average get about 200 days in a year.
[4] Absence of alternative occupation:- In the rural areas the farm workers are not getting alternative job when they suffer seasonal unemployment.
[5] Growing indebtedness – Agricultural laborers in Barpeta of Assam are highly indebted. As the lend of wages are very poor thus the farm workers have been borrowing from land lords and become bonded laborers ultimately it can be said that the agricultural laborers in Barpeta of Assam are living in inhuman conditions and in the absence of organized status. They are deprived of all the basic amenities of their life.
[6] Natural Factors:- In Barpeta district of Assam chronically affected by flood and river erosion. Nearly 31,000 hectares agricultural land affected by flood and erosion every years and huge loss of the farmer.
[7] Misuse of government fund: For the sake of agriculture development State and central government release various fund, subsidy, equipment, water cannel to paddy field from river etc. But to gain those facilities the poor and uneducated farmers need to cross the long bureaucratic bridge. Due to which the facilities remain undelivered.

GOVERNMENT POLICY OR MEASURES ADAPTED TO IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS OF FARM WORKERS:

[1] Abolition of bonded labour: - The Indian constitution declared the practice of serf demand offence. It has also abolished agrarian slavery including forced labour by law but it will take sometime before it is removed in practice.
[2] The minimum wage act passed in 1948 by state government were advised to fix minimum wages for labour within three years. The minimum wages are fixed keeping in view the total costs and standard of living. But due to some practical difficulties most of the state could not fix the minimum wages till 1974.
[3] Other legislative measures: After passing legislation for fixing ceiling on land were acquired surplus lands and distributed it among the land less labourers. About 74 lakh areas of land were acquired as surplus lands and distributed it among land less labour.
[4] In India various state have passed necessary legislation for providing housing sites to agricultural labourers. Again under minimum needs programme and 20 point programme high priority is being attached to rural housing site cum-house construction scheme.
[5] Special Agencies: - During the fourth plan two special agencies-small farmers development Agency (SFDA) and Marginal Farmers and Agriculture labourers development Agency (MFAL) were developed for conducting various works like irrigation land conservation dairy development piggory

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS :

[1] Implementation of minimum wage act: - To implement the minimum wage act seriously and to revise the minimum wages periodically considering the changing price level of the country.
[2] Bargaining Power: - To improve their bargaining power the agricultural workers should be organised through the formation of farm unions of labourers under the protection and support of the government.
[3] Abolition of Bonded Labour: - To abolish serfdom among the landless agricultural labourers totally.
[4] Distribution of Surplus Land: - To rehabilitate the agricultural labourers on the acquired land declared surplus under ceiling laws and also on the new reclaimed land.
[5] Alternative Sources of employment: to create alternative sources of employment by developing small scale and cottage industries in rural areas.
[6] Social Security Measures: To introduce social security measures for the agricultural labours and also to introduce compulsory insurance on marginal contribution and also to institute old age pension scheme for the agricultural workers by the government.
[7] Fixing working hours: to improve the working conditions of agricultural labour by enforcing fixed hours of work banning child labour etc.
[8] Modern Method :- To improve the working conditions of agriculture by adopting improve intensive methods and multiple cropping for raising the productivity of agricultural labourers and promote co-operative farming in rural areas.
[9] Flood and River Erosion Control: - Adequate measures must be taken to overcome the problems of agriculture in Assam created by natural factors. Extensive flood control measures should be adopted to prevent huge loss and devastation created by ever recurring flood in Assam. In Assam river Erosion must be control to save the agricultural land and labourers.
[10] Economic Measures:- To make agriculture move remunerative active economic measures must be introduced. Subsidiary agro-based industries must set up in rural areas. So that surplus labour in agriculture sector can be utilised in these industries. Proper steps must be taken to break the vicious circle of poverty.
[11] Human Development: - For the improvement of agricultural productivity in the state the quality of farmer must be improved through education, both general and technical.

Conclusion:

What would be the face of Indian agriculture say 20-30 years hence? This paper is a deliberate attempt to add a new dimension to the present discourse which presupposes the persistence of overpopulated workforce in agriculture. We propose that the livelihood decisions of the rural youth would be the key to future of Indian agriculture and there is a need to understand the various processes affecting it fully. With around 50 per cent of the world’s population being youth and more in the developing countries, the future of the world depends much on what they choose to say – or do for that matter. The world is practically theirs to decide how they want to live and let others live. Agriculture has been feeding the world population but its ways are not doing that anymore as we can see from the increasing number of hungry people. As it is the best way of providing food if done properly and with no other options, the youth has to come up with how to make the most of it. Agricultural workers constitute the most neglected class in Indian rural structure. Their income is low and employment irregular. Since, they possess no skill or training, they have no alternative employment opportunities either. Socially, a large number of agricultural workers belong to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Therefore, they are a suppressed class. They are not organised and they cannot fight for their rights. Because of all these reasons their economic lot has failed to improve even after four decades of planning. This can also be seen from the Prime Minister's speech made in Lok Sabha on August 4, 1966. The Prime minister emphasized -"We must give special consideration to the landless agricultural labour. Although there has been tremendous progress in India since Independence, this is one section, which has really a very hard time and which is deserving very special consideration." So as an agriculture dominated country government should take proper steps for various aspect for agricultural labours, like wage reforms, new methods for agriculture, hours of works, improve the living conditions and overcoming the natural factors like flood and erosion etc.

REFERENCE
[1.] K.p.m sundharam- indian economics thirty seventh edition 1997 new delhi
[2.] Dhar p.k- assam economy, kalyani publishers,eiahth edition 2007
[3.] Dr b.p taygi agricultural and rural develoment economics.
[4.] Guptas r. Popular master guide romesh publishing house 2009.

[5.] Newspapers – Pratidin. Khabar etc.