Sherpur farmers in a fix as daily labour wages skyrocket amid Boro harvest season

They are facing mounting pressure as labour shortages push harvesting costs higher while market prices remain subdued

In Sherpur, an agriculture-based border district with surplus food production, Boro harvesting and threshing are in full swing as farmers rush to bring in the golden crop.

Labour markets have also turned busy, with daily gatherings forming at Sheikhhati Bazar, Khorarpar and Sheri Bridge from the early morning hours.

Wages for harvesting workers have risen to between Tk 1,200 and Tk 1,400 a day, in many cases exceeding the value of the paddy itself.

Farmer Habibur Rahman from Sheikhhati Bazar said wages were around Tk 1,000 just days ago, but have now climbed depending on location.

He said coarse paddy is selling at Tk 500 to Tk 700 per maund, while finer varieties fetch Tk 750 to Tk 800, forcing farmers to sell nearly two maunds to pay a single worker.

Labourers have been arriving in groups from the towns, nearby villages and neighbouring Jamalpur, carrying sickles, ropes for bundling sheaves and bamboo baskets used to transport harvested paddy.

At the markets, farmers negotiate wages before taking workers to fields on foot or by autorickshaw, depending on distance.

The hiring hubs remain busiest between 5am and 6:30am.

Workers are engaged in cutting paddy while standing in water, carrying it through muddy fields, threshing and transporting it to households.

Abdul Hakim, a farmer from the Paturia area, said most Boro fields have ripened at the same time, driving up demand for labour as all farmers try to harvest quickly, creating shortages.

Farmers, including Abdul Quddus and Joynal from Nagpara, said wages have surged to Tk 1,200–1,400, with employers also providing two meals a day.

Labourers, however, say the higher pay reflects the harsh conditions.

Worker Shafik Aynal said the job involves working in rain, standing in water, carrying loads through mud and facing risks from leeches, sharp paddy edges and snails that can cut workers’ feet.

Similarly, workers Sumon and Rafiq said the soaring cost of living makes it difficult for them to support their families even with these higher earnings.

Farmers say they are being squeezed between adverse weather and high labour costs.

Many fields remain waterlogged due to frequent rain, complicating harvesting, threshing and drying.

Without sufficient sunshine, paddy and straw risk rotting.

Ayub Ali, a farmer from Palashia village in the Sadar Upazila, said he is facing losses despite a good yield, citing low market prices and high labour costs. He added that workers are reluctant to enter muddy fields, making the situation more difficult.

Khokon Mia from Pakuria Gangpar village said cultivation costs are high while sale prices remain low, with paddy selling at Tk 700–800 per maund.

He added that labourers demand Tk 1,200–1,300 a day, but are still hard to find.

Agronomist Md Sakhawat Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Sherpur, said the district had set a cultivation target of 91,889 hectares this season and achieved 91,811 hectares.

He said crop conditions remain good and around 24 percent of the standing Boro paddy in the district has been harvested.