Farmers’ Fatality Fiasco – Not A New Custom

The ongoing farmer agitation across nation is just a symptom to a serious agrarian crisis in India, deep rooted in the systematic policy failure, claiming lives of at least 12,000 farmers every year. Is this a recently developed tendency? This is a big question that nation wants to know.

In a latest incident of farmer suicide, a farmer named Thomas from Kozhikode district of Kerala committed suicide outside village office, police told the local media about how he had been allegedly harassed by village officials for his land tax payment.

In few other tragic incidents, one farmer each hanged himself in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh farmer was worried with bank notice for recovery and other two farmers had committed suicide due to low prices of crops they were getting in respective markets.

Death toll due to farmer suicides in MP is already higher than 10 in numbers, in Punjab it is said to be higher than 12 even though a higher loan waiver was announced. Various media reports had suggested different figures from different states ranging from single digit to double digit since the protests had started.

According to the latest data by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), about 12,000 cases of farmer suicides had been reported in 2014-15 alone. Alarming aspect is that this trend has continued from a long period, making it an inclusive avoidance by all the political parties.

A research journal by professor in university of agricultural sciences Dharwad, which shares farmers’ suicide status, suggests that total number of suicides in India during years 2010-15 were (excluding land owner farmers and farmers on contract) alarmingly high.

This trend also signifies that recent increase in farmers’ suicide is very low in comparison to the worst years of 2010 and 2011.

Supreme Court of India had once termed the matter of farmers’ suicide as “Unfortunate to discuss”. Citing the agricultural scenario of the nation, farmers appears to be the most deceived citizen of the nation. Tendency of suicide by farmers has now become an unstoppable fashion, no matter how the policy makers term it.

Farmers’, who took loan, from organised money lending institutions have committed more suicides than those who opted for traditional practice of loan. During a press conference, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister of India, Radha Mohan Singh had replied to the same question by BW Businessworld asserting that there are flaws in system and government is trying to make it more transparent to control this suicide tendency of farmers’.

Here is a National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) Data indicating few causes of suicide by farmers with their percentage share:

In a conversation with BW Businessworld, father of transgenic seeds in India and former vice chancellor of Delhi University Deepak Pental had termed it as a social trauma and suggested that universities can handle it in a very good manner.

Had universities’ asked their social science experts to counsel farmers in the area most affected. Another agro-economist from Madhya Pradesh who doesn’t want to be named, had termed it as ‘flaw of system’ which is somehow unable to develop confidence among farmers.

S K Singh, Senior faculty of agriculture business management at VBSP University, UP had shared another observation, he quoted “apart from the myth of farmers mental harassment by money lenders and non-financial institutions, it’s alarming to see the trend of suicide by farmers who took loan from organized sector”.

Another expert and former vice chancellor of VN Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Santaram Kadam had termed it as a very difficult issue to address, especially in sensitive Marathwada region. He said, there are many factors involved in it hence it will need a holistic approach to address the issue in case of Maharashtra.

Supreme Court (SC) responding to a petition by an NGO had then said, “It is hard for the judicial body to intervene in this matter, though steps are required to be taken. It is a matter of executive domain to decide crop insurance and minimum support prices”.

SC was also very critical at the involvement of Niti Aayog in every matter. This issue needs full time attention to be resolved and the government need to develop faith among farmers for a sustainable solution.