Baghdad is farmer of Malkapur village of Kondapur mandal. He is a small farmer and took about four acres of land on lease for ₹10,000 per each acre.
Irrespective of crop yield, he has to pay the total lease amount of ₹40,000 to the land owner. Baghdad has cultivated cotton in the leased land and has invested about ₹35,000 per acre. Come November, the cotton crop came for harvesting, though part of the crop was damaged due to heavy rains that took place last month. Some cotton balls flowered while some turned black and could not flower. Not only that, even part of the cotton has changed colour due to getting soaked in rain water.
Baghdad has a son Sameer and three grand children aged between eight and 13 years. The entire family is involved in plucking the cotton in addition to the hired labour of about 10 persons. “It is becoming difficult to pluck the cotton as the crop has soaked in rainwater and partly damaged. Labour are complaining about pain in hands and their plucking capacities were reduced. They are able to pluck between 30 kg and 35 kg per day instead of 60 to 70 kg last year. The result will that we need to hire them for some more days. Hence, all our family members are involved in plucking. This will reduce our payment to labour,” said Sameer.
Children are also taking active part in plucking as schools were not opened. Children taking part in plucking van be witnessed with the families of migrants from Kurnool.