AGRICULTURAL WAGE RATES 53
relations at the micro-regional level. The study is based on primary data collected from all households of nine villages, three each from district Saran, Siwan and Gopalganj, selected at random, for the period between July 1974 and June 1975 in connection with the study of Agrarian Relations in North-West Bihar.3 In the area, agricultural labourers constitute 33.35 percent of total workers. Besides,there are small and marginal owner-tenant cultivators who also hire out their labour power. Thus, wages are an important means of livelihood of a vast majority of the population and their rates affect their work, living and agricultural development at large.
Table I shows that nowhere the wage rate is lower than Rs 1.50 per day and higher than Rs 4.50. In Chaphwa the wage rate is the lowest and in Korea, Jafarpur and Sonabarsa, the highest. In the rest of the villages it is between Rs 2.51 and Rs 3.50.
TABLE I
SPATIAL VARIATION IN AGRICULTURAL WAGE RATES
(per male worker per day in Rs)
Wage rates Villages
Upto 1.50 —
1.51 to 2.50 Chaphwa
2.51 to 3.50 Saraia, Parasia, Bharthui,
Maharani Ugarsain and Bharkuian
3.51 to 4.50 Korea, Jafarpur and Sonabarsa.
Above 4.50 —
In view of conceptual difficulties, it is a little complex task to measure labour productivity in absolute value terms. However, by and large, utilization of canal irrigation, pumpsets, tractors and fertilizer has a positive impact on it. Besides,output per labourer shows its trend. From this point of view, as Table II shows, in Maharani Ugarsain the productivity should be the lowest, because there is neither canal irrigation nor pumpsct nor tractor there.
T^ \BLE II
KEY FEATURES DETERM INING PRODUC' riVITY OF LABO UR
Villages Canal irrigation Land per pump set (in acres) Landper tractor (in acres) Utilization of fertilizer (kg per acre)
1 Korea — 67.31 — 19.00
2 Saraia — — — 18.00
3 Jafarpur 4 Parasia — 51.54 55.51 154.31 222.04 21.00 14.00
5 Sonabarsa — 78.25 22.00
6 Bharthui — 45.18 341.46 63.00
7 Chaphwa 8 Maharani 9 Bharkuian Whole area Ugarsain — 31.78 . 9.00 9.00 20.00