What labour do I need for cotton picking and how is it usually paid?

Cotton picking is labour intensive, needs several pickings as bolls open, and is very commonly paid by weight picked (per kg) rather than by day, which suits both sides because pickers earn by effort and you pay for output. The rate per kg varies by region and season, so confirm the going local rate before season. Pickers are mostly women's gangs arranged through the village network or a contractor; book early because every cotton grower needs hands in the same weeks. Practical tips: weigh fairly and pay promptly at each picking or as agreed, this keeps good pickers loyal; encourage clean picking (less trash and unopened bolls) because clean cotton fetches a better price, sometimes worth a slightly higher rate to good pickers. Keep drinking water and shade available in the field. Where picking labour is very scarce or costly, some farmers are trying mechanical pickers and compact varieties, but hand picking still dominates and gives the cleanest cotton in most areas.