Guest workers from states back at Julurpad

Julurpad: Guest workers from Maharastra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, who had abruptly left their places of work following the lockdown since March 23, 2020, are back at Julurpad mandal after a gap of eleven months.

These labourers used to come and work in the chilli fields in Julurpad every year as migrant workforce. They would set up tents near the fields, work, cook food and stay there for the entire duration of the harvest. Chilli farmers provide power and water free to these workers.

Sekhar, a farmer from Julurpad, said nearly 4,000 migrant workers come to the mandal during the harvest season to work at farms in Julurpad, Gandhinagar, Papakolli, Suraram, Padamata Narasapuram and Anantharam. Chilli crop is raised over 3,500 acres in Julurpad mandal.

The chilli farmers will also engage these workers in tending to or harvesting other crops like cotton and paddy.

Sadanlal, who came from Chandrapur in Maharashtra, said the male and female workers remained for the past 11 months in their native villages. “The situation has changed now and transport vehicles are plying,” they said.

The workers said they reach the chilli farms in groups by engaging trucks from their native places. They also bring in their children who would help the parents in cooking and the like.

A worker gets Rs 8 per kilo of chilli pods reaped. The farmers say that with the arrival of these workers from other states, the reaping of the harvest will be done in a speedy manner.