Udupi: Mechanized Harvesters arrive in Moodubelle, to augment Labor Shortage

By Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 22 Oct 2013: It’s the harvest season for paddy cultivators in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district.  The good news is that 2 enterprising progressive farmers with their farmlands in Moodubelle sourced 2 mechanized harvesters from Salem, Tamil Nadu, which would be available on hourly-rental-basis in Moodubelle, near here.  

  
 
 
It’s indeed an innovative idea to source 3 mechanized harvesters by progressive farmers Henry Alva from Moodubelle and Naveen Shetty from Bangalore, as the machine can save several man-hours besides to augment the shortage of farmhands. The farming in the coastal district now depends of migrant laborers, as the local farmhands are in short supply, due to several reasons, young women shunning strenuous work on fields on scorching sun, high literacy level, substitute incomes by rolling bidi and self employment.  Its significant that age-old paddy cultivation exists in coastal district, because of committed farmers who prefer to toil in their farmlands, while the new generation shuns soiling tasks instead prefer to squander their prime time on social networking, mobile communication etc. 

 

 
 
Meanwhile, the demonstration of first mechanized harvester was held at the paddy field of zilla panchayat member Ida Gilbert D’Souza at Moodubelle, near here a few days ago.  It convinced the local peasants of the benefits of harvesting using the mechanized harvester that segregates the paddy, bay and eases the multiple tasks that ought to be done by several farmhands. 

 
 
It’s the boon for local farmers as pooling the labor also saved because of mechanized harvesters and hopes its going to stay till new generation gets hang on of it, in order to sustain paddy cultivation of their forefathers.