The labor market for agricultural workers at Noyabazar Bishwaroad under Dharabarisha union in Gurudaspur upazila of Natore has once again became lively this year.
From early dawn, agricultural workers from various upazilas in Natore, Pabna, and Sirajganj gather here. However, this year’s turnout of workers is higher compared to previous years, and despite rising commodity prices, their wages are comparatively lower.
During a field visit to the Noyabazar labor market on Tuesday, it was observed that wages for male workers currently range from Tk 600 to Tk 800 per day, while female workers earn between Tk 400 and Tk 550 per day. Starting from 3:00am, workers arrived at Noyabazar Bishwaroad, often risking their safety on various modes of transportation. From 5:00am onward, farmers begin hiring workers based on their needs, primarily for harvesting rice and planting garlic.
This year, labour wage was fixed at Tk 2200 to Tk 2500 for harvesting paddy from per bigha of land and Tk 8000 to Tk11,000 for harvesting garlic in from per bigha of land.
However, while the workers generally receive wages in line with the work required, female workers expressed dissatisfaction due to lower wages compared to men.
Hajera Begum and Shahida Begum, two workers from Solonga, lamented, despite doing the same work as the men, we are paid less. With the high cost of essential goods, it’s getting harder to manage our households.
Anwar Hossain, a local farmer from Dharabarisha, shared, I have been hiring workers from this market for the past 20 years, and it has been convenient for us. However, this year, both labor costs and contract prices have gone up.
The large congregation of workers along the highway leads to traffic congestion, and the presence of high-speed vehicles creates a risk of accidents. While farmers benefit from the labor availability, workers face some challenges, including transportation costs and safety concerns.
