They say that public has a short memory. It is true.
It was just a few days back that a farmer from Rajasthan committed suicide in
the national capital. Now, whole media attention has been diverted to the earth
quake in Nepal or Modi’s foreign visits. The poor dying farmers have been
forgotten and erased from the national collective memory.
Let
us look at few numbers:
Farmer
suicides are a matter of grave concern. In 2011, a total of 135,585 people
committed suicide, of which 14,207 were farmers. In 2012, the National Crime
Records Bureau of India reported 13,754 farmer suicides, which is the official
count. In 2012, the state of Maharashtra, with 3,786 farmers' suicides,
accounted for about a quarter of the all India's farmer suicides total.
The highest number of farmer suicides was
recorded in 2004 when 18,241 farmers committed suicide. As of 2013, a total of
296,438 farmers have killed themselves in India since 1995. There are a number
of reasons for farmer suicides, such as monsoon failure, high debt burdens,
genetically modified crops, government policies, personal issues and family
problems. There are some other reasons as well like habits of drinking and
gambling, chronic illness, property disputes, debt burden, etc.
As much as 80% of India's farmland relies on monsoon
season for irrigation. So, inadequate rainfall can cause droughts, making crop
failure more common. In regions that have experienced droughts, crop yields
have declined, and food for cattle has become scarcer. Agricultural regions
that have been affected by droughts have subsequently seen farmers’ suicide
rates to increase.
GM
crops:
There is a link between the GM crops and farmer
suicides. The Bt cotton seeds cost nearly twice as much as ordinary ones. The
higher costs force farmers to take larger loans, often from private
moneylenders on exorbitant interest rates (60% a year). The moneylenders
collect their dues at harvest time, by compelling farmers to sell their cotton
to them at a price lower than it fetches in the market. Due to their losses,
farmers are compelled to commit suicides. The southern Indian states have ten
times higher rates of suicides than some northern states. According to a report
by Daily Mail, every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide as a result of
Monsanto’s GMO crops. Globalization and monopoly have forced farmers to buy GMO
seeds and since GMO crops have become pest resistant, the farmers have no
choice but to purchase Monsanto’s popular herbecide. This is a disturbing fact
that often farmers commit suicide by drinking the insecticide shipped to them
by companies like Monsanto.
Relief
packages:
In response to farmer suicides, the government appointed
a number of inquiries. Families of dead farmers were given grants. In 2006, the
government of India announced ex-gratia cash assistance from Prime Ministers
National Relief Fund to the farmers. A special rehabilitation package was
launched to mitigate the distress of the farmers. Following steps can be taken
to help farmers:
- - Debt relief
- - Improved supply of institutional credit
- - Improved irrigation facilities
- - To employ experts and social service
personnel to provide farming support services
- - Introduction of subsidiary income
opportunities through horticulture, livestock, dairying and fisheries.
In 2008, the state government of Maharashtra, one of
the most farmer suicide affected states, passed the Money Lending (Regulation)
Act, 2008 to regulate all private money lending to farmers. The bill set
maximum legally allowed interest rates on loans to farmers. The State
Government of Maharashtra made it illegal, in 2010, for non-licensed
moneylenders from seeking loan repayment.
Failure
of government efforts:
A look at government data on farmer suicides since
1995 to 2012 shows that no political party has succeeded in stopping farmers’
suicides. Among states Maharashtra has the worst record for farmer suicides.
During 1995-1999, there were 10,000 farmers who took their lives. These figures
show that the government has failed in implementing its policies to save lives
of farmers. States like Punjab and Haryana are considered advanced in
agriculture, but farmers of these states also have been involved in committing
suicides.
Condition
this year:
This year farmers have suffered from unseasonal
excessive rains and hail storms. This led to destruction of crops all over
India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a higher relief package for
farmers. At the same time he has directed banks to restructure agricultural
loans and also asked insurance companies to proactively settle the claims. The
destruction of crops this year has already led to many suicides. In such
situations, some political parties are trying to take advantage.
Political
advantage by AAP:
Arvind Kejrival held a rally in Delhi for so called
support of the farmers. This was a rally to take political advantage not to
help farmers in any way. Such rallies inflame passions in general public. The
brazen result of this rally was shown on all TV channels – Suicide of a farmer
from Rajasthan. Nearly 3 lakh Indian farmers have committed suicide in the last
two decades. Given that suicide is associated with social stigma for the family
and is in fact a crime according to Indian law, so the statistics on suicides
are subject to an under-reporting bias.
According to the FIR, AAP workers and supporters
abetted the suicide of Gajendra Singh. Investigators said their probe reveals
that AAP workers stopped police from sending the victim to Ram Manohar Lohia
Hospital while insisting that he was a party member and should not be taken in
police van which resulted in considerable delay leading to his death. It is so
shameful that the AAP leaders did not call off the rally and even after death
of a farmer the rally continued. The AAP tried to gain maximum political
benefits out of this incident.
“India
loves a dead farmer more than a living one”:
In regard to deaths of the farmers a foreign
newspaper rightly said “India loves a dead farmer more than a living one.” A
typical Indian farmer, when alive and toiling, is among the least productive
workers in the world. Trillions of rupees are spent in subsidies but even then
farmers are in distress. No matter how much money the state throws at farmers,
most of them have small holdings of land or are landless laborers. It shows
that farming in India has bleak prospects.
There is need of agricultural reforms and counseling
of farmers. Cheap loans and better irrigation facilities can help farmers. The
land bill to be passed by the government can bring attractive prices to the
farming land. The people with small land holdings can sell the land and try
their hand in other sectors. All these measures are to be taken only then the
farmers of India can be saved.
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