Farmers' suicides in India

In May 2017,The Govt. of India told the Supreme Court of India that over 12000 Farmers commit suicide every Year.

The National Crime Records Bureau reported,the highest number of farmer suicides were recorded in 2004 when 18,241 farmers committed suicide. The farmers suicide rate in India has ranged between 1.4 and 1.8 per 100,000 total population, over a 10-year period through 2005.
India is an agrarian country with around 70% of its people depending directly or indirectly upon agriculture. Farmer suicides account for 11.2% of all suicides in India. Activists and scholars have offered a number of conflicting reasons for farmer suicides, such as monsoon failure, high debt burdens, government policies, public mental health, personal issues and family problems.

Be-lagaam ki Awaaz

Be Zubaan ki Awaaz
With regard to the recent farmer suicides, the Agriculture Minister of Haryana, Om Prakash Dhankar, reportedly suggested that those who commit suicide are cowards and criminals, and deserve no state help. As the politics wages on, farmer Gajendra Singh’s suicide and that of thousands others like him, is reflective of the plight of farmers pushed to end their lives, while the state turns its back on them.

Suicide of Gajender Singh

But with such low incomes and high costs of cultivation, their main source of capital for farming remains loan. And their main sources of loan are moneylenders. As they try to break-even and somehow pay off their debts with exorbitant rates of interest, a weather shock or price fluctuation will push them into yet another cycle of borrowing. Unable to cope with mounting debt and the inability to take care of their families, many choose to end their lives.

One of the most crucial problems faced by farmers in India is regarding marketing. The laws in India are outdated and most often a farmer has no option but to sell his produce in regulated markets, where the middlemen are the ones making the maximum gains. At times, they can make up to 75% profits. If the middlemen can be eliminated then the farmers could have sold their products at better rates. On the other hand, the farmers have to be satisfied with the bare minimum. The situation is especially dire in the sugar factories where the weighing scales are always said to be dodgy and it takes a significant time for the farmers to just break even. In some situations the farmers also need to give away their produce for free to the moneylenders. Distress selling in small villages is a pretty common phenomenon as well. The Rural Credit Survey has correctly stated that nothing is favorable for the farmers in terms of time, place or conditions of sale.

“The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways.”
John F. Kennedy

"Founders of human Civilization,who used to worry during the growing season,now worry throughout, whether the difference of their input and output will be Positive.Producers and consumers are Crying And Middle men are Enjoying."

-Tejinder Kamboj

Potato growers held a protest demanding a better price for their produce .they held a protest against the Government.

Bumper potato crop has become a curse for farmers. They are left with no other option but to throw the produce on roads.
Huge economic crisis and the worsened situation has led to suicide by farmers.

Straight From Horse's Mouth!

About ten years ago I visited my farm at village Dharmgarh ,District Patiala, Punjab, India.
In a Chillies field some woman laborers were picking chilies.

I asked the Supervisor as to what was he paying to these poor women per day.He told me that he was paying them nothing.I have just told them to Pluck and take away as the Labor for picking was Re.1 per Kg. and the market price of green chilies, was the same.I just want the field vacated for the next crop.

The Producers and the Consumers are suffering and the Middle men are Flourishing.On such situation my grandfather used to say," Kise da munda,kise di kudi,Vicholiyey nu.n doha.n vallo.n Suit!"

Tejinder Kamboj