Female litchi workers deserve fair wage as men

Ishwardi upazila once again comes into the spotlight as Bangladesh’s renowned “capital of lychees.” The region’s juicy and flavorful lychees enjoy immense popularity across the country, attracting fruit lovers from far and wide.

Yet, the women who play a crucial role in the production, processing, and marketing, they have been facing immense pressure as they unable to get the exact wages what they deserve.

Locally known as “Lychee Girls” (Lichukanyas), nearly 30,000 female workers are involved in harvesting, sorting, counting, and packaging lychees.

Despite their significant contribution, they have long been subjected to wage discrimination.

Enduring intense summer heat and performing physically demanding work, these women earn between Tk 300 and Tk 500 less per day than their male counterparts.

Nevertheless, they work diligently from morning until evening without complaint or delay.

Shishir Mahmud, a lychee orchard owner from Maniknagar village, said, “During the lychee season, around 30,000 women work directly in orchards across Ishwardi. Women perform most of the sorting and counting after the fruit ripens.”

Saying the similar story, a female worker of the garden named Habiba Sultana said that she is unable to get the exact wage as she receives Tk 400, while men earn up to Tk 800 for doing the same job each day.”

How their wages distributed?

Tamanna Noor, a college student from Bharaimari village, said, “Hundreds of school and college girls like me work in lychee orchards during the season. I use the money to cover my educational and other family-related expenses throughout the year.”

National Agriculture Award-winning lychee grower Abdul Jalil Kitab Mondal said, “Women play a vital role in sorting lychees, which would be difficult to complete these tasks efficiently without them.

Currently, female workers receive Tk 400 per day along with breakfast and lunch.”

Despite their indispensable contribution to Ishwardi’s thriving lychee industry, female workers continue to demand fair wages and equal recognition for their labor.