Urban unemployed daily wage workers depending on rural agriculture, lockdown effect

Amaravati: Rural agriculture economy is offering employment to urban labour, amidst coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Contrary to traditional theories of urban growth poles, the rural areas became a source of livelihood for daily wage workers living in urban areas. Since they could not find work in urban areas roughly from the last one and half month, the workers are engaging in agriculture works in the nearby villages.

For instance, the daily wage workers in Guntur Municipal Corporation Limits have been working in the nearby villages like Lingayapalem, Kornepadu, Fifth Mile, Chintapallipadu, Garapadu, Pratthipadu, Koyavaripalem, Chinakondrupadu, Adavitakkellapadu and others.

Majority of labour finding works at Chilli fields, where they can get Rs 7 per plucking 1 kg. In addition to that, the grading, seperating, packing, weighing, loading and transporting the Chilli produce from agriculture field to market place or cold storage also create employment to the daily wage labourers. During the general days, all these works have been done by the farmers and agriculture labour only. But now, the labour from urban areas also joined for livelihood.

M Murali Krishna, a Chilli cultivation farmer said that the people from Guntur have been coming to work in their village, Prathipadu. It is around 20 kms away from Guntur. He said that so far they saw the migrated workers from various districts from Srikakulam to Kurnool. But, it is something new to see the workers coming from Guntur town to work in villages. The people are shuttling between Guntur and villages everyday, he added.

R Anjaneyulu, a daily wage worker said that he used to work as a hamali in Guntur Chilli Market Yard. Since the market yard is not conducting any business as it is in the Red Zone, they are deprived of wages. Hence, he has been going to villages in search of the work. He said that he has been earning around Rs 400 to Rs 500 per day and spending that money very judiciously. He also expressed fear that the agriculture works are also going to end by the end of this month. If the lockdown restrictions will continue like this, then they will face many restrictions.

Eluri Venkata Narayana, owner of Recology Agro Waste Management said that though he has the work to offer, he could not engage his men due to lockdown restrictions. Hence, all his labour shifted to agriculture works. He is doing a business on separating chilli seed from mechanically processed stems.