For Yavatmal farm hands, liquor and gutka make part of wages

Nagpur: Liquor gives farm hands of Yavatmal the spirit to work harder. A nip of country brew before jobs like pesticide spraying begin, with one more after finishing and a day's ration of gutkha (tobacco mixture) is part of the wages to be paid by the farmer to farm hands in the region.

The government investigation following 18 deaths in the district has revealed a practice of buying alcohol for the farm workers apart from paying the regular wages. Called 'thakwa '(tiredness), it is taken as an antidote for exhaustion before and after back -breaking work in the field. The stock of tobacco further acts as a stimulant to go on working. Sources say liquor also gives them courage to take up works like pesticide spraying without bothering much about safety.

Government sources looking in the matter say this was one of the aspects which came to fore during investigation. A correlation is being examined between the liquor consumption and impact of pesticide inhalation. A number of persons including political leaders, apart from farmers and labourers spoke about the Thakwa practice, said a source in the government.

Even TOI got confirmations from various quarters. Although the doctors TOI talked to said there cannot be any direct relation. "Liquor consumption and pesticide inhalation would have an entirely different impact on the body. Alcohol may not have any role to play," said Dr Rajesh Atal of Orange City Hospital and Research Institute (OCHRI).

However, farmers confirmed that the labourers continuously chew tobacco. This happens even while spraying pesticides.

The user manual for using profenofos-cypermethrin pesticide which was used by the victims clearly specifies not to eat or drink while using it. The instructions found in every pack are written in various regional languages apart from Hindi and Marathi. Tobacco again is used as a stimulant to carry on working under tiring conditions said farmers requesting anonymity. Gutkha is rubbed on the palms before eating which can be dangerous if done while using pesticides, said sources.

A farmer explained how the deal works. "The 'thakwa' is indeed a practice in the villages. Workers need two nips of country liquor and gutka packets to last a day."

"Be it jobs to pluck cotton or pesticide spraying, liquor and gutkha are part of the wages. This increases the per acre labour cost by around Rs600. Each worker has to be given two bottles of liquor. One at start of the day and another in the evening. This costs Rs120 per person apart from another Rs20 to be added for the gutkha. All this is over and above the regular wages," the farmer added.