compare the condition of a big farmer of your village with that of vijaya
kumar in vekatapuram
Answers
Answer:
“Squatting on the floor in fields for long
hours bearing the scorching sun and
plucking groundnut is not an easy job.
Ravi, our employer pays us on the basis
of the quantity of groundnut we pluck. We
have to be fast; otherwise, we will not get
even 50-60 rupees for the whole day’s
effort,” Lakshmamma said.
It was groundnut harvesting season in Venkatapuram. Farmers sow
groundnut seeds in the last week of November and harvest in February.
On our way to the main village we found Rama, Lakshmamma and Padma,
women labourers, having breakfast in a groundnut field. We talked with
them about their work. CHAPTER
7
Agriculture in
Our Times
“All of you must be very busy these
days,” we asked.
“Yes. But we get such work on farms
only for a few weeks in a year. Otherwise
we have to look for work in government
schemes or sit idle in our houses,”
Padma said.
“Even in government schemes also we
get employment only for a few weeks in
the entire year,” Rama said.
Fig: 7.1 Groundnut harvesting
Lakshmamma said, “We
don’t know why the prices
of essential food items
and vegetables, clothes
and stationery for our
school going children
rise fast but not our
wages.”
Normally women
workers earn about Rs.70-
80 per day whereas men
workers get Rs. 120 per
day. During harvest or
sowing seasons, women
labourers get Rs. 120-150
per day whereas male
Free Distribution by Govt. of A.P.
workers get Rs.150-200 per day. In the
government employment scheme, both
men and women workers get about Rs.120
per day. In non-agricultural activities such
as loading and unloading of sand or bricks
and construction works they get a little
more – Rs. 200-250 for men and Rs. 200
per day for women. But there is very little
such work.
“Where do we get non-agriculture
employment here? Also, it is not easy to
suddenly become a construction worker.
We have to go to towns and cities,” Padma
said.
“Some farmers in our neighbouring
villages cultivate flowers and grapes.
Only those who go regularly and have
learnt the work get employment there.
How can we suddenly do the tasks in
grape or flower fields and that too for a
few days of work in a year? They also
don’t allow young children there. How
can I leave our children?” Lakmamma
added.
“We do government scheme works as
they do not require any special skills,”
Rama said.
Like Rama, Lakshmamma and Padma,
poor labouring families face a lot of
challenges in maintaining their income to
run their families. The women also spend a
lot of time on their household work such
as getting their children ready to go to
schools, preparing food, getting water and
firewood.
Nearly two-fifths of all rural families
are mainly agricultural labourers in Andhra
Pradesh. Of these, hardly a few have small
plots of land and the rest are landless.
Although earnings are higher in nonagricultural jobs, such jobs are scarce in
rural areas. That is why many families in
Venkatapuram have migrated to towns and
cities.
What kind of work do the labourers
find in Venkatapuram?
What are the different ways in which
the labourers meet the expenses of
the family over the year?
Compare the wages for women and
men in different contexts. Why do
you think this difference exists?
Small farmers in
Venkatapuram
Seeing us talking to the workers, Ravi,
their employer came over to talk to us. Ravi
employs only one or two men workers and
several women workers for harvesting
groundnut. Men workers are generally
engaged to uproot groundnut plant with
roots and stem, gather, bundle and carry the
bundles to a place. Women are engaged to
pluck groundnut pods from the plant.
“I employ labourers only for
harvesting. I generally get other works
done with my family members or take the
help of other neighbouring farmers,” Ravi
said.
Ravi’s daughter was also plucking
groundnuts. Ravi didn’t send her to the
college located in the nearby town as he
found the fees and other expenses are
beyond his paying capacity. So, she now
works in the fields.
Ravi has 4 acres of land with a borewell.
Earlier he used to get water from the village
tank. Now-a-days water does not reach his
Agriculture in Our Times 61
fields. About 5 years back, he borrowed
Rs.75,000 and dug a borewell. For the first
2-3 years, he cultivated two crops a year.
Since last year water from the borewell is
sufficient to cultivate even one crop in a
year.
“I borrowed money from a broker in
our village to buy seeds and fertilizers.
To pay back I have to sell this groundnut
to him at somewhat lower price than the
market price. He has already telephoned
me asking for the produce to be
delivered.”