Farm labourers passing hard time in Lalmonirhat

A large number of farm labourers in the village areas of five upazilas under the district are passing a hard time amid seasonal job crisis that will continue until the start of aman paddy harvest in the last week of November.

As in every year, there is no farming job in the region during the Bangla months of Ashwin and Kartik (October-November), and so, most of the labourers are going to different towns including the capital Dhaka in search of job, locals said. 

"I and 30 other farm labourers in the same village are preparing to go to capital Dhaka for searching job, as there is no work in the village this time," said farm labourer Sajedul Islam, 48, of Dewdoba village in Aditmari upazila.

"We the farm labourers often crowd in the town for selling our labour, but most of us have to return empty-handed as there is not many jobs in the town too. Many farm workers are selling labour in advance to the local farm owners for lower than usual wages," said farm labourer Nabindra Nath Barmon, 62, of Haziganj village in Aditmari upazila.

Farmer Setarul Islam, 48, at Kulaghat village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said there is no need to hire farm labourers now.

"Labourers will be hired when the harvesting of aman paddy starts in the last week of November. Some farm labourers are selling their labour in advance to me," he said.  

Lalmonirhat District Relief and Rehabilitation Office sources said, the government sanctioned Tk 6 crore 11 lakh and 52 thousand to provide job opportunity to 7,644 farm labourers under a 40-day job scheme last year, but there is no allocation for this programme this year yet.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Mohammad Hossain said his office will get the government fund for running the 40-day job scheme for the seasonally jobless farm labourers very soon.