<i>Women grow crops in chars when males chase jobs</i>
Char areas in Teesta river basin turned green with crops as women engaged themselves in cultivation when the male members of their families look for job in far away places and sometimes stay there for months. Photo shows a group of women working at a chilli field in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha.Photo: STAR
Women nurture the crop plants in vast fields of Teesta River basin in Sundarganj upazila while the male members of their family leave home in search of work. A huge number of char women these days have opted for the job as men stay away of home for months. Their male partners work in the crop fields of different landowners on yearly or half-yearly contract basis. Many others also work as rickshaw puller and mason in towns and cities, said Mozaharul Islam, chairman of the upazila's Haripur union. This is a common scene in remote char areas where the male members choose to look for jobs in other districts every year and return home with a sum of amount saved from their wages. Six out of 17 unions of the upazila are in the newly emerged char areas along the river basin. The areas wear a green look during the dry season while it remains under water in the rainy season. At present the farmers are cultivating jute, boro, wheat, chilli and a number of rabi crops. The farmers in the areas, who had huge land property around two decades ago, have become pauper due to river erosion. The women labourers alleged that they often become victim of discrimination. The land owners pay daily wage of Tk 70 to Tk 80 to a woman while the male labourers get Tk 150, they said. Fuljan Bewa of Belka charland said she had no alternative to working at a crop field to earn livelihood as her husband was out of home for three months. The landless farmers work in the crop field on contract of sharing crops with others although a vast area of land remain uncultivated in the area for want of adequate labourers. A number of male labourers go out of home to look for want of jobs whereas it has become almost difficult for us to cultivate crops charlands for lack of adequate labourer, said said Waheduzzaman Sarker, chairman of Sundarganj upazila.
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