Expressing concern over shortage of farm labourers getting worse,Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the Centre was considering a move to provide labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to farmers during sowing and harvesting. The government is considering a scheme to bear 75 per cent of the cost of hiring labourers,while farm owners would have to pay the remaining 25 per cent to hire labourers,said Pawar while addressing a function to inaugurate a new building of the Solapur District Co-operative Bank at Akluj in Satara district. The Union government is spending about Rs 40,000 crore per year on NREGA. Even if labourers sit idle at the work site,they get fixed wages. On the other hand,theres a serious problem of labour shortage in farms as farm hands are now opting for NREGA work. To solve the problem,there is a move to provide labourers to farmers through NREGA during sowing and harvesting,when theres a dire need of farm hands. The government is considering giving 75 per cent of the wages to labourers and leave the remaining 25 per cent to be borne by farmers, said Pawar. Speaking about surplus sugar production,Pawar said the production in the country was far higher than domestic consumption and the government would soon take an appropriate decision on export of sugar. This years sugar production is estimated to be 260 lakh tonne. We already have 50 lakh tonne sugar from the last season in godowns. As total domestic consumption is only 220 tonne,we have have to take a decision on export of the sugar soon, said Pawar. Minister of Co-operation Harshavardhan Patil,State Co-operative Sugar Societies Federation President Vijaysingh Mohite Patil,Sanitation Minister Laxman Dhoble and Minister of State for Agriculture Gularbrao Devkar were also present at the function.
