Seasonal migration of sugarcane cutters is a major socio-economic phenomenon in the state of Maharashtra, particularly involving the migration of workers from drought-prone Marathwada like regions to the sugarcane-rich Kolhapur District. The present research work examines the influence of employment opportunities on the migration patterns of sugarcane-cutters, focusing on income, age structures, dependency ratio, gender disparity and educational status. The survey based primary data is collected from Chh. Shahu Cooperative Sugar Factory, Kagal in 2013-14 and compered with the data of 2018-19 and also supported by secondary sources like sugar industry records and census reports, the research finds migration as predominantly a survival strategy rather than a pathway to economic mobility. The findings shows that although migrants earn comparatively higher incomes at the place of destination, saving remain minimal due to indebtedness and subsistence expenditures. The population analysis revels a predominance of working-age migrants, a declining dependency ratio over time, and noticeable gender disparities. A Chi-square test confirms a statistically significant relationship between education and age structure in sugarcane-cutters. Finally, the research concludes that although employment opportunities attract sugarcane-cutters to Kolhapur as a seasonal migrant, structural vulnerabilities, poor standard of living, exploitative labour arrangements continue to restrict long-term socio-economic advancement.
Shinde et al. (Fri,) studied this question.