Seasonal sugarcane harvesters of Gujarat: trapped in a cycle of poverty

Leela Visaria () and Harish Joshi
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Leela Visaria: GIDR
Harish Joshi: GIDR

Journal of Social and Economic Development, 2021, vol. 23, issue 1, No 7, 113-130

Abstract: Abstract Based on primary data collected from the households of Dangs district in South Gujarat, India, the paper shows that every year a third of young adults migrate to Surat district and neighbouring areas for half a year to work as sugarcane harvesters. The data show that they live in temporary shelters in harsh conditions with bare minimum necessities and amenities. A large share of their earnings, much lower than the minimum wage rate for agricultural labour, is used to pay the labour contractors who provide cash advances during the lean post-monsoon months. Paying back the principal amount with hefty interest on it traps generations of migrant workers in the vicious cycle of poverty and indebtedness.

Keywords: Seasonal migration; Dangs; Koyta; Labour contractor; Indebtedness; Poverty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 G51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s40847-020-00120-2

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