RAJKOT: Massive crop failure due to insufficient rains has triggered an exodus of migrant farm labourers from the districts of Saurashtra Rough estimates provided by various farmers’ associations, at least 50,000 labourers have moved out of the region in the last fortnight, either returning to their native places or urban areas in search of work.Most farm labourers come from Dahod, Panchmahal and Narmada districts besides a significant number from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Many farmers give them their land for cultivation in partnership while many hire them for entire season. The live in the farms with families by building makeshift sheltes. However, with the rains playing truant, the yield of groundnut and cotton, the two major crops of Saurashtra is expected to decline drastically.Farmers have already started razing their standing crop which has withered. Kamlesh Nasit, a farmer in Abhrampara village near Amabardi in Amreli district, told TOI: “There were around 1,000 migrants working in my village, but all of them left last week as the crop has completely failed.”“We didn’t get the much-needed second and third round of rain and there is no facility of irrigation too,” Nasit said.In Amreli district, many families are settled in Surat and engaged in the diamond industry. Back home, they have given their land for cultivation to these migrants on profitsharing basis. Such a big exodus of farm labourers in Saurashtra is being witnessed after several years as the region was getting adequate rainfall.J K Patel, president of Gujarat Kisan Sangathan, said: “Except for Surendranagar, migrant farm workers in seven other districts are heading home as there is no possibility of salvaging the crop now. Around 50,000 labourers who had come for the cultivation of groundnut and cotton have returned in the last 15 days alone.”In Surendrangar, 60% of area under cultivation comes under the command area of Narmada canal and therefore there is no such exodus. But majority of those in Amreli, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Morbi, Dev Bhoomi Dwarka and in some parts of Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts have left.The Solvent Extractors Association of India and Saurashtra Oil Millers Association (SOMA) have already estimated 50% drop in groundnut yield in kharif season 2018-19. The cotton production is also expected to around 80 lakh bales against 119 lakh bales last year.Janak Parsara, a farmer in Krushnagadh village of Amreli district said: “Of out the 27 bigha land, I had sown groundnut in 10 bigha. But entire crop has failed and 15 labourers whom I had hired have left. They had taken some advance money from me, but I am not hopeful of getting it back because they were dependent on the crcrop produce as earning.”Amreli district collector Aayush Oak said: “The government is addressing the unemployment issue of farm labourers. In a recent video conferencing with senior officers, it was decided to give them work through NREGA in Panchmahal district. In Amreli too, we have decided to give them employment within 15 days depending on the demand.”Oak said, “This time crop failure can’t be measured with rain data because in some talukas, 100% rainfall was recorded but still the crop failed. This was because the total rainfall was registered in one cycle only. There was no second cycle of monsoon. We are getting more realistic figures of the yield using the new crop cutting method so that farmers get crop insurance.”

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