Farmer Suicides

Businessworld

Lacking adequate irrigation and remunerative support prices, the Indian farmer continues to suffer at the hands of an uncaring bureaucracy, manipulative politicians and avaricious moneylenders.

More than 280 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha district since January. The government says that more than 100,000 have killed themselves between 1997 and 2005 .

In Vidarbha, the main cause of suicide is indebtedness to moneylenders, who often charge interest rates of up to 40 per cent on loans.

Though the government has announced a Rs 3,750-crore aid package for indebted farmers, and a Rs 60,000-crore write-off of small farmer loans held by public sector banks, these do not offer any relief to farmers who have taken loans from traditional moneylenders. In fact, 116 farmers in Vidarbha have committed suicide since New Delhi announced its loan waiver.


Both, the state governments and the Centre have also shied away from using existing usury laws to go after the moneylenders, who often hold powerful positions in political parties.

Given the global rise in food prices, which is enriching farmers in countries such as Australia, Brazil and the US, various farmer organisations, such as the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, are pressing the government to raise the domestic support prices on crops. But New Delhi is refusing to budge.