FARMERS SUICIDES

REASONS FOR FARMERS SUICIDES

1. OVER DEPENDENCE ON THE MONSOONS

Break down in the meteorological cycle of rainfall.

93% of area under dry land farming. Which means, totally dependent on the rainfall.

2. LACK OF PROPER IRRIGATION 98% of farmers having committed

suicides had absolutely no irrigation facilities.

3. GREEN REVOLUTION

4. INDEBTEDNESS & RELATED FACTORS Out of 17.64 Lakh farmers only (25.3%)

farmers could avail institutional finance in 2005-06.

Private money lenders charge high interest rates between 48-60% p.a.

Higher rate of interest in the cooperative credit system e.g. up to 12.5% to 14% till last year.

cooperative sector brought down their interest rates to 7%, even then the farmers are taking loans from the private individuals.

5. EXPENSIVE TECHNOLOGIES

It is too risky to adopt expensive technologies.

6. UNCERTAINTY OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE IN INDIA

7. RISING COSTS OF CULTIVATION

The price for inputs started to rise it resulted in the rise in the cost for cultivation.

8. NEUTRAL SEEDS

The seeds which the private sector brought in are called as neutral seed or dummy seed because it makes the land neutral and moreover it doesn’t support the cycle of repeated sowing.

LOAN WAIVER POLICY

“THE UPA GOVERNMENT’S WAIVER IS NO SOLUTION EVEN FOR THE IMMEDIATE CRISIS LEAVE THE LONG-TERM AGRARIAN PROBLEMS. NOTHING IN THIS BUDGET WILL RAISE FARM INCOMES.” -P. SAINATH

“THE WAIVER HELPS ONLY IF THE LOAN HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM A GOVERNMENT-BACKED INSTITUTION, BUT MOST FARMERS IN VIDARBHA BORROW FROM MONEYLENDERS AT THE START OF THE SOWING SEASON TO BUY SEEDS.” - SATISH NANDGAONKAR

“LOAN WAIVER WILL STRENGTHEN BANKING.” - P. CHIDAMBARAM

“WOUNDS THAT MORAL UNIVERSE. IT TELLS THE FARMER NOT TO BOTHER TO REPAY HIS NEXT LOAN, BECAUSE, WHO KNOWS, ANOTHER PARTY WILL BE IN POWER AND IT TOO WILL CANCEL HIS DEBTS. WHAT MESSAGE DOES THIS SEND TO THE HONEST VILLAGE WOMAN WHO STRUGGLES EVERY WEEK TO REPAY HER LOAN?” - GURCHARAN DAS

“BAD POLITICS BAD ECONOMICS” - INDIA TODAY

HAVEN’T THEY SUGGESTED THAT THESE WERE WRONG POLICIES?

ECONOMISTS LIKE KEYNES, SMITH, RICARDO, ETC WROTE ‘ECONOMICS’ BOOKS NOT FOR FAME OR MONEY BUT TO HELP THEIR RESPECTIVE ECONOMIES. WHAT ARE ECONOMISTS IN INDIA DOING THESE DAYS?

STATISTICS ON FARMER SUICIDES

ON AVERAGE, ONE INDIAN FARMER COMMITTED SUICIDE EVERY 32 MINUTES BETWEEN 1997 AND 2005. SINCE 2002, THIS HAS BECOME ONE SUICIDE EVERY 30 MINUTES.

ONE FARMER TOOK HIS OR HER LIFE EVERY 53 MINUTES BETWEEN 1997 AND 2005 IN JUST THE STATES OF MAHARASHTRA, ANDHRA PRADESH, KARNATAKA, MADHYA PRADESH AND INCLUDING CHHATTISGARH.

IN MAHARASHTRA ALONE, THERE WAS ONE SUICIDE EVERY THREE HOURS. IT GOT EVEN WORSE AFTER 2001. IT ROSE TO ONE FARM SUICIDE EVERY 48 MINUTES IN THESE BIG FOUR STATES.

THE BIG FOUR HAVE TOGETHER SEEN 89,362 FARMERS’ SUICIDES BETWEEN 1997 AND 2005, OR 44,102 BETWEEN 2002 AND 2005.

VIDARBHA REMAINS A GRIM STATISTIC. ONE SUICIDE IN EVERY EIGHT HOURS.

MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE WERE BETWEEN 20 AND 45, THEIR MOST PRODUCTIVE YEARS.

FARMERS SUICIDE

I lost my father

YOU GOT BREAD TO EAT

I lost my husband

You got rice to cook

I lost my son

You got vegetables to make…

I lost my brother

You got fruit’s to cherish on

I lost my …….

I lost my …….

I lost my …….

I lost my …….

I lost my …….

I lost my …….

I lost my …….

I lost everyone

You got everything

What did You loose

THANK YOU