

Nagpur: Drought and the dry spell in the Marathwada region and adjoining Washim district , which falls in Vidarbha, has led to farm hands moving into deeper pockets of Vidarbha in search of work.

Farmers in Wardha and Yavatmal, otherwise known for suicides, say nowadays they are hosting farm hands who are coming in large numbers from Nanded and other places in Marathwada as well as Washim, which is located at the south-western-corner of Vidarbha. They are here to offer services for cotton-plucking, a lucrative job for a farm hand.

Farmers say the workers have been regularly coming to their places during cotton plucking season since a few years. However, this year, the numbers were exceptionally high. Local farmers say the numbers are up almost three times.

It is due to crop failure and lack of water in their respective districts that many have reached Vidarbha.

TOI paid a visit to villages in Wardha, over 70 kms from Nagpur, to find farm hands from both Nanded and Washim working as cotton pluckers.

As they lit their makeshift hearths in a cotton field at Taroda village, there were many among the 20 odd couples who had come out their of home villages in search of work for the first time. “I used to drive a tractor at one Digambar Thakre’s field who is among the big farmers. This year there is hardly any yield in his 80-acre farm. So I joined others who come to Wardha regularly,” said Sanjay Dhongade.

Soyabean is the major crop in Washim district. Its yield has fallen to barely a quintal an acre, leaving many farm hands jobless, according to Asha Bhosle who is one of its victim. “Drinking water is scare and the coming days are going to be worse,” she exclaimed.

Farm hands get 50 a day at their homes as against 300 to 400 in cotton plucking. Here the entire family including the kids are engaged earning 25,000 to 35,000 for the entire season. “The kids do go to school but its vacation during the plucking season,” said Subhash Bhosle who is in his 50s.

“The area had a group of workers from Nanded district too. Many have come down from Marathwada due to the drought. The group recently shifted to another village around 30 kms from here,” said Arjun Timande, a cotton grower from Wardha.

TOI spotted one family from Nanded at Mandgaoi village 6 kms from Taroda. They were camping at a cotton grower Chintaman Channe’s place. He said his son had gone to Adilabad in Telangana, which borders Nanded, where he found the family. “They agreed to work for us,” said Channe.

Sagona Bhalerao said she has been migrating since the last three years due to lack of water. “This year I sold my cattle, which included a calf, before coming down. Last year I had gone to Chandrapur district. Life was better till 2012,” she said. “This year almost every worker in the Hathgaon Taluka from where I come has migrated,” she said

Another farmer Shivaji Pandurang, also from Hathgaon, said though he was regular visitor a large number workers have come to Pandharkavda in Yavatmal for the first time.

Nanded Kakani said traditionally workers have been going to Umerkhed and Pusad talukas of Yavatmal due to their proximity to Nanded. “There is no trend of large-scale migration. In fact there are not many takers for MNREGA jobs too. There was as much as 83% turnout in a recent local election which shows that most of people in district itself,” said the official.

But another official accepted that there was slow trend of migration since last 5 years.

Despite repeated attempts no official could be contacted in Washim. Prem Chavan of Yavatmal said almost 3,000 workers may have come from Washim this season as against 1,000 last year.

