Paddy transplantation is in full swing across Punjab, but farmers in Barnala district say rising cultivation costs and higher labour charges are putting increasing financial pressure on agriculture. Migrant workers, however, say inflation has left them with little choice but to demand better wages.
Farmers across Barnala said the cost of paddy cultivation has risen sharply this season. They claimed that land lease rates have touched nearly ₹80,000-85,000 per acre, while diesel, petrol, fertilisers, pesticides and other crop protection chemicals have all become more expensive, pushing up overall cultivation costs.
Adding to their concerns, farmers said the availability of migrant labour has declined this year, driving up wages during the transplantation season. They argued that while production costs continue to rise, farm incomes have not kept pace, making paddy cultivation increasingly unviable.
Farmers seek MSP support for more crops
Speaking to The Statesman in Cheema village, farmers Darshan Singh, Makhan Singh and Bhola Singh said they continue to cultivate wheat and paddy because both crops are covered under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system.
They said governments have repeatedly encouraged crop diversification, but the absence of assured procurement and remunerative prices for alternative crops discourages farmers from moving away from the traditional cropping cycle.
The farmers urged the Punjab government to extend MSP coverage to more crops and introduce measures to reduce cultivation costs to keep farming economically viable.
Migrant workers say inflation has raised living costs
Migrant workers from Bihar, engaged in paddy transplantation across the district, said they too are grappling with rising expenses. They said travelling to Punjab, arranging accommodation, meeting daily expenses and supporting families back home have all become costlier in recent years.
One of the workers, Upinderjit Kumar, said higher labour charges were a reflection of rising living costs rather than an attempt to burden farmers.
“We are only asking for wages that allow us to meet our household expenses,” he said.
As paddy transplantation gathers pace, both farmers and migrant workers say inflation is squeezing their incomes from different directions, exposing the growing economic pressures surrounding Punjab’s kharif season.