Providing extra ration to workers, calling them up repeatedly asking for their well-being and stocking up medicines for them — this is how farmers are taking care of farm labourers these days. They are visiting chemist shops with labourers to get them medicines and other essentials items.

In cities, it seems difficult to stop labourers from returning to their native places, but farmers in rural areas are making sure they don’t face shortage of labour.

Chemists from rural areas said several farmers asked them to provide farm labourers with basic medicines. “More than their own well-being, farmers are worried about the health of their workers. Some farmers accompanied their labourers to make labourers have enough stock of medicines,” a medical shop owner said.

Kirpal Singh, a farmer from Jalandhar’s Moosapur village, said he was sending ration to deras, where migrant workers were putting up. “Before the lockdown was announced, at least 10 of my workers came from Bihar. Since then, I have been giving them food. Since they came by train, I asked them to quarantine themselves for 14 days. But I am providing them with every essential item,” he said.

On Monday, three of his labourers told Kirpal Singh that they wanted to return home. To this, he requested them to stay put and assured them of every possible help.

Manjit Singh Rai, a farmer from Hoshiarpur, said: “A farmer is dependent on labourers the most. It is important that labourers remain here for the coming harvesting season. From the humanitarian point of view, everyone is ensuring that nobody suffers at this point of time.”

This news has not been edited by Apni Kheti staff but has been published by various news feeds

Source: Tribune India