LABOUR SHORTAGE IN COFFEE PLANTATION AREAS – COPING STRATEGIES OF SMALL GROWERS IN KODAGU DISTRICT

Abstract

Coffee plantations of Kodagu district are reeling under the pressure of shortage of labour and rising cost of labour. Given that plantation operations are labour intensive and time bound, there appears to be severe shortage of labour in particular time-periods and for particular operations. Absentee-planters also contribute to the situation as they offer more wages in order to complete operations in short span of time. On the labour side, with younger generation of plantation labour families migrating to cities for wage work, aged labourers and women are the only available labour in the district. Hence most planters depend on day-migrants from outside. Systems of jeep-drivers acting as ‘maistries’ in ensuring supply of labour from villages within and adjoining districts has evolved as a coping mechanism, which resulted in rising cost of labour and exploitative intermediation between planters and labourers. Some planters also resort to migrant labour from other states. However presence of outside labourers in large numbers is perceived as a potential disturbance to the social milieu of Coorg. The study calls for pro-active role of intermediary agencies (Government, Coffee Board and NGOs) to address these complex issues involved. This involves the regulating the exploitative activities of ‘maistries’ or jeep drivers, Coffee Board could engage closely with small growers and introduce mechanical devices that reduce manual labour. Extension services and demonstration sites can be established and easier credit facility for purchase of machines can be devised. Encouragement of Joint liability groups (JLGs) for procuring some of the machines can be explored by the state government and the coffee board in order to encourage small growers to procure them collectively. Similarly, informal labour sharing mechanisms can be encouraged with incentives through SHGs and other forms of group organizations. There is a strong demand from the small growers to link up MGNREG with some of the plantation operations (to begin with for tiny and small growers) as a way to cushion the cost of labour. Gram sabhas and village panchayats can take a lead role in ensuring a fair and transparent linkage between MGNREG and plantation operations. Government and the Coffee Board may take up such pilot project in selected villages in order to identify modalities of such a convergence. Another innovative way of supporting small growers would be creating incentive structure for conservation of the environment and adopting sustainable practices. Subsidizing at the input level for conservation would ease the burden of rising cost of production.