Nashik: The scanty, erratic and unseasonal rain not only affected the sugar cane crops and farmers, but also the livelihoods of workers who toil in the sugar cane fields.

“The crushing season begins in November. Farm workers from Nashik go to Ahmednagar and even Kolhapur in search of work depending upon the remuneration. However, the demand is low this time.

Mahanand has to pay workers, revenue low: Min
We had to turn away more than 20% of the workers because there was not enough work,” Hiralal Chaudhary, a Nandgaon taluka-based mukadam (contractor) said.
Chaudhary said the erratic and scanty rain this monsoon damaged the crops. Similarly, the unseasonal rainfall in November also hampered the yield.
Several farmers either removed the plantation or set the crops on fire, he said.

“During the last crushing season, we had around 700 workers from several villages in Nandgaon. This season, the number has dropped to 550. Four members of my family had worked last time, but this year, only two of us were hired,” said Rajesh Kale, one of the workers from Nandgaon taluka who worked with Chaudhary.

Like Kale, many others have been forced to take up odd jobs and work at construction sites.

“We are unskilled workers and, therefore, get lower wages. We have brought our families to Nashik city and are forced to live in the open,” Palekar, who has three daughters, said.
The daughters are enrolled in local schools, while Palekar’s wife has also taken up work to support the family.

Although many workers found different jobs, they are unhappy as the government is ensuring financial aid to the farmers who have lost their crop, but is not thinking about helping the workers who lost livelihoods.

“Farm workers are the most neglected category in the agriculture sector. The farmers have farms to start something afresh, but the workers have nothing to fall back on,” Rajendra Neve, a worker from Nandgaon taluka, said.

The state mills in Kolhapur have produced 360 lakh quintals of sugar, facing a shortage of sugar cane. The cultivation of sugar cane has dropped by 6% compared to last year. Kolhapur region has surpassed others in sugar production, with a recovery rate of 10.09%. The mills are running for a shorter season due to the decline in sugar production. To incentivize cane farmers, mills are offering bonuses based on the timing of cane delivery.

A construction site contractor in Thergaon, Pune has been charged with negligence after a worker fell to his death from the seventh floor. The victim, Bhanupratap Rameshchandra Singh, was painting the outer wall of the building while tied with a rope. Unfortunately, the rope snapped and he fell to the ground.

The decision to hand over Mahanand Dairy to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was taken last year, but the handover process was stuck over payment of Rs 130 crore to its workers. The shift is described as unfortunate by Chhagan Bhubjal of the NCP. Mahanand is a top cooperative dairy in Maharashtra similar to Amul in Gujarat and Nandini in Karnataka. The move is claimed to be part of a plan to favor Gujarat by the Shiv Sena and Congress. Efforts are being made to take Mahanand to Gujarat as well.