migrant sugarcane workers of india
DESCRIPTION
This book was sent to the people who donated $100.00 or more to my Indiegogo campaign. Now thanks to the inter-webs, everyone can see it :) DavidTRANSCRIPT
by D A V I D G O L D M A N
ndia is a beautiful country with a massive
population of over 1.252 billion people. There are
over 50 million people in India that depend on
income generated by sugar-related industries and an
estimated 35 million farmers who grow it.
Have you ever thought about where those little packets
of sugar that you put in your coffee come from? Sugar
for our consumption is derived from two sources: Beets
and cane. These are two very different ways to produce
a similar product.
This is the story of migrant sugarcane workers in India.
l
igrant sugarcane workers often
travel for multiple days on oxcarts to
arrive at farms and factories. They
travel in what are called “gangs.” These gangs are
made up of approximately 10 to 20 people and will
include grandparents, parents and children. Often
pregnant women will give birth to babies during
the harvesting season, which runs from December
through March. Some of these new mothers return
to work within days of giving birth.
m
here appears to be a discrepancy regarding
the value of organic fertilizer. Some farmers
who are supported by large sugarcane
factories believe in organic fertilizer and actually
buy it from the factory. However, independent and
often uneducated farm owners are not convinced.
Sugarcane prices are set by the government and
are valued in Kilos. The more a farmer can grow in
a smaller area of land the more money he can make.
Thanks to new GMO techniques, some farmers
have significantly increased their yield thus directly
leading to higher revenue and a better quality of life.
t
ide-eyed and hopeful, the next
generation of migrant worker is
literally raised working in the field.
The skills are passed down from father to son and
mother to daughter. Often you can find a baby or
toddler just sitting in the middle of the field on a stack
of cane not far from a parent but definitely not in the
safest of environments.
Every parent I spoke to wanted their children to have
an education but due to financial constraints often
had to make the decision to send only one to school
while the other would follow into the fields to harvest
cane. Parents wanted to know that they would be
taken care of when they were too old to work in the
fields. To make sure this happens they bring the next
generation up to be migrant sugarcane workers.
w
t used to be that sugar was the main product
created from cane. Electricity and ethanol were
the byproducts. Some of the larger factories
can produce enough electricity from steam created
by boiling the left over husks of the cane to not only
power the factory each day but also to sell back a
significant amount of electricity to the grid.
With an increased middle class in India, there
is a greater demand for low cost transportation.
Manufacturers like Tata build low priced entry-level
cars. The government will be mandating a higher
percentage of ethanol to fuel supplies and, as a result,
what was once a byproduct of sugarcane production
may one day become the main product.
l
lobal consumption of sugar has grown to
approximately 173 million tones - about 24
kg per person, per year!
India is the world’s largest consumer of sugar and
the second largest producer of cane sugar next to
Brazil. It accounts for approximately 15% of global
sugar production with annual harvesting in excess
of 25 Million metric tons. Once the factories start
production, they roll on 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week until the last of the cane has been crushed.
g
I was first made aware of the migrant sugarcane workers in India when I was doing some work for UN Women. I was fascinated to learn of their journeys to the fields from far off villages. The amount of time and energy they spend harvesting the cane and for what they get paid to do it was something I wanted to learn more about.
This project could not have been completed without the support, generosity and backing of the many people who contributed to the Indiegogo campaign. However, all the financial support means nothing if you don’t have someone you can trust who is looking out for your wellbeing. For me that person was my friend Sunitha Jagaanath her support and help made this project possible. Sunitha miraculously introduce me to Panduranga Biradar AKA “Pandu” the head of R&D at the Nandi Sugar Company who without knowing me or what my intentions were gave me unobstructed access to the factory and the migrant workers. Without his help there would be no story to tell. When I came home with thousands of images and hours of film footage I relied on the exceptional eye of Julie Grahame who’s editing expertise I trust implicitly. Finally to Sean Mosher-Smith who designed the book you are looking at right now. Sean has always been open to the work I do and wanting to help me tell the stories that I feel need to be told.
To these IndieGoGo contributors, I am honored and humbled by your support.
Sharon Ross, Aldo Cane, Jerry Dadoun, Marek Fludzinski, Cheryl Wetstein, Ali Hill, Mark Fischel, Mark Neidig, Anand Kulkarni, Mike Coulter, Michael Goldstein, Daniel Martin, Kevin Burns, Jeff Kenez, MaryJane MacCallum, Michi Yanagishita, Barry Oberman, Adam Hirsch, Carrie Klepzig, Rachel Greenbaum, Jenny Zipkin.
David
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