Tikapur, November 21:

Members of a local club have rendered yeomen’s service to harried farmers of Tikapur municipality-8. They helped harvest paddy and in doing so, they saved the farmers big money.

Farmers said they took the help of the club as hiring labour was more expensive. Farmer Tarka Bahadur Budha said farm workers would have charged Rs 2,000 for reaping paddy on one bigha of land but the Sanghari Club did it for just Rs 500.

The club harvested paddy on about 60 bighas of land that belongs to 40 farmers, said club member Raj Kumar Chaudhary. The club also earned a nice income from 16 days of work The government has fixed Rs 125 as daily wage for unskilled workers. Women get Rs 120 and men Rs 200.

Farmers complained there would be no profit margin if they were to pay the government wage rate. GEFONT’s Kailali chairman Hemant Raj Mandabya said if wages Rs 300 daily were not given, an agitation would ensue.

Meanwhile, farmers complained that they were not getting fair prices while labour wages and the price of fertilizer had increased.