Another Indian farmer commits suicide

[Spring Onion]

Vidarbha farm crisis claims 1,016th life this year

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A progressive farmer owning 22 acres of land became the 1,016th cultivator to commit suicide this year in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, which has become the epicentre of agrarian crisis in the country.

Narayan Uggewar, 42, on Sunday consumed poison in his cotton field in Yavatmal district's Wanjari village, about 30 kms from Yavatmal.

Uggewar had taken a loan of nearly Rs 100,000 from the Bank of Maharashtra after repaying an earlier loan, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti leader Kishor Tiwari said.

"He is also said to have taken an almost equal amount of loan from private sources and sown BT cotton on 18 out of 22 acres of his farm," Tiwari told IANS.

"The yield was however poor -- only 25 quintals as against 100 that he expected, mainly because the crop was destroyed by lalya, a pest that the BT strain doesn't guard against."

Unmitigated farm distress in the Vidarbha region continues to bedevil both the state and the central government despite seven fact-finding commissions studying the problem in great detail since 2005 and writing voluminous reports.

At least eight of this month's 15 suicides were reported last weekend.

Two farmers who ended their lives on Saturday hailed from the paddy growing Chandrapur district of eastern Vidarbha, which is not included in the prime minister's relief package, Tiwari said.

As many as 1,662 farmers committed suicide in the six crisis-ridden districts of west Vidarbha last year as per the Maharashtra government record maintained in obedience to a high court order. Suicides by farmers, though on a much smaller scale, have also been reported from the five east Vidarbha districts.

Even while claiming that the incidence of farm-related suicides has declined, the state government set up yet another committee headed by agriculture economist Narendra Jadhav earlier this month to study the unremitting problem and suggest ways to tackle it.

Activists and experts are questioning the propriety of commissioning yet another study even as the prime minister's office (PMO) has reportedly accepted the recommendations of a panel of three state government secretaries for modifications in the prime minister's July 2006 relief package.




Vidarbha farm crisis claims 1,016th life this year- Hindustan Times

 

[amunhotep]

1016 is only the official count

i can assure u that the real figure is much higher

 

[Spring Onion]

1016 is only the official count

i can assure u that the real figure is much higher

Yes i know and all of the indians willl also know that too.

But it is very unfortunate that none of your members here have the courage to speak about this topic may be they are shy of doing so.

But lets forget it is happening in India just lets take it for debate.

as
1. Agriculture in Sub-continent is like back bone of economy of our countires im sure it is important in India too just like Pakistan.

2. But howcome it is neglected this sector while the Indian Farmers continue to commite suicide.

3. what is the main reason for this mishandling or to say increasing ration of suicide among poor farmers.

4. But why these farmers are so much low level of poverty ????


5. Is it that they are having large pieces of Land or what ??

 

[aryan2007]

Yes i know and all of the indians willl also know that too.

But it is very unfortunate that none of your members here have the courage to speak about this topic may be they are shy of doing so.

But lets forget it is happening in India just lets take it for debate.

as
1. Agriculture in Sub-continent is like back bone of economy of our countires im sure it is important in India too just like Pakistan.

for India agriculture is not the backbone of the economy/GDP nor the engine of growth anymore but the backbone of employment in rural sector...

Though India needs reforms a massive political will to overhaul the Agro sector for example Punjab and Haryana's fanatastic output can easily be replicated in the Ganga Yamuna Doab.. and even in Bengal...
There is a significant issue of land holdings and a lack of supporting facilities..

Co-operative farming and commercial farming must be encouraged..

I feel states like Punjab, Maharashta and Haryana should be completely industrialized and only large scale commercial agriculture should take place
Normal agriculture should be shifted to other states.. as UP, Bihar and Bengal with their massive populations and lack of infra facilites will do well in such agriculture IMO or in very labour intensive industries(esp if they possess the requiste raw materials)

2. But howcome it is neglected this sector while the Indian Farmers continue to commite suicide.

The farmers take loans from private financers who have a variety of methods to extract it.. the govt usually forgoes the loans... so it is in fear that these guys end their lives..
Maharashtra is one of the more prosperous states so this dude ended his life as a form of escape from social downclassification.. in states like Orissa with a very corrupt, inapt govt coupled with poverty and tribal lifestyle suicide is a means to avoid hunger..

3. what is the main reason for this mishandling or to say increasing ration of suicide among poor farmers.

Not enough govt funding... private financing.. political inapathy... financer admin nexus.. to some extent caste politics...

The main problem that I feel is present in the Indian agro sector is small land holdings not enough support..

Though for Vidarbha I hold Pawar responsible.. cause a) Pawar is the main guy in Maharashtra b) agro minister at the centre c) agro strongman/wizard/genius(dynamix diary, wine projects etc) d) his right hand man is the Vidharba Beedi king praful patel.. they have sufficient influence to change things..

4. But why these farmers are so much low level of poverty ????

I think not. the guy had loans of ~200000 rs this is not an issue of poverty..
Orissa or other tribal dominated states/Maoists infested states are full of poverty..
Anyways the farmers of North(Punjab, Haryana) and South(Tamil Nadu and Kerala ) all are millionaires.. Esp the one's in Punjab and Kerala.. highest per capita number of mercedes and imported cars..
so the issue is of govt support... otherwise Maharashtra is the richest Indian state and is the most industrialized...

I have feeling these guys have taken to a cult following or some thing.. fer chrissake their ancestors must have gone without food for days under the British and these guys are ending their lives because of low yield and Loan payments...

5. Is it that they are having large pieces of Land or what ??

20 acres is hardly a land holding worth having.. they should instead grow cash crops other than Cotton. and practise co-operative farming..

Please remind me to post an article on a model village society project which was started 2-3 decades where the whole village participated and these villagers became pretty prosperous afterwards..

BT cotton seeds, electricity etc.. in such areas should be subsidised till the situation improves.. or declare drought and pay 2-3 times the Min Support Price or better blame everything on themselves and BT and give compensation etc.. and kick out the middlemen/finance guys from the supply lines..

The day retail giants start operating the situation for farmers will improve but the middlemen will be slaughtered but I think the middlemen will figure something for themselves..

Frankly the agricultural sector is not participating in the booming Indian economy and the day it starts performing well the real boom will happen and wealth will be divided more equally...

 

[Energon]

Very informative post aryan2007
I totally agree with your analysis.
Based on a documentary I watched on the matter not too long ago, I noticed a few other factors which I don't feel get as much exposure.

Social issues, primarily wedding costs for female offspring also seem to play a major role. This apparently has prompted the government of Maharashtra to hold mass weddings with cash gifts to ease the burden. However I see very little done to eradicate archaic social practicies such as dowry.

Lack of infrastructure: Vidarbha is known to be a fairly arid area. I wonder why a prosperous and relatively industrialized state like Maharashtra hasn't invested more in an elaborate netowrk of irrigation canals.

Poor farmer education: The analyst said that expensive BT cotton seeds are actually not beneficial to Indian farmers in that region since the strain was originally made for soil and farms in Northern America. Indian farmers in eastern Maharashtra would be a lot better off with locally available inexpensive cotton seeds.

Rural India IMO is caught in a vicious cycle on account of the lack of both infrastructure and education. These should become the primary focus for governments in addition to subsidies.

 

[aryan2007]

Very informative post aryan2007
I totally agree with your analysis.
Based on a documentary I watched on the matter not too long ago, I noticed a few other factors which I don't feel get as much exposure.

Social issues, primarily wedding costs for female offspring also seem to play a major role. This apparently has prompted the government of Maharashtra to hold mass weddings with cash gifts to ease the burden. However I see very little done to eradicate archaic social practicies such as dowry.

Honestly this is a social malaise and a part of Culture.. this can never be eradicated in practise... can be reduced/lesses but eradicate is impossible...

Lack of infrastructure: Vidarbha is known to be a fairly arid area. I wonder why a prosperous and relatively industrialized state like Maharashtra hasn't invested more in an elaborate netowrk of irrigation canals.

The problem here is that people of Vidarhbha feel alienated from rest of Maharashtra due to lack of focus and consequently vote against the ruling party and Therefore the ruling party punishes them by not giving aid... this turns into a vicious circle

Poor farmer education: The analyst said that expensive BT cotton seeds are actually not beneficial to Indian farmers in that region since the strain was originally made for soil and farms in Northern America. Indian farmers in eastern Maharashtra would be a lot better off with locally available inexpensive cotton seeds.

Govt had announced a few relief packages but I doubt any has trickled down to the needy..

Yep regarding the seeds reports have pointed towards a corporate-govt nexus.. Earlier when the economy was largely agrarian the govt used to ensure and work diligently to see that Agricultural sector would be robust.. Now the focus has shifted to industries and services and there is step-motherly treatment to agriculture.. + agriculture is not a significant source of revenue to the govt..

Rural India IMO is caught in a vicious cycle on account of the lack of both infrastructure and education. These should become the primary focus for governments in addition to subsidies.

This issue actually surfaces after India joined WTO.. there are no safeguards and protectionist barriers to protect the small, hand-to-mouth Indian Farmers..

Education,providing quality raw materials, finance, protection and rehabilitation etc. is the onus of the govt and the govt has failed the people...


Subsidies, relief packages etc. have been there for ages but a corrupt admin machinery actually goes against the actual goals of the subsidies..

I think what is needed is greater protection and increased corporate and NGO participation and penetration in the rural heartlands so that the farmers change the way they work... the question of subsitence has been fundamentally altered now India needs farmers to not only be able to feed themselves but make money(by being competititve) and to contribute to the Indian economy ... (China, US are slaughtering our farmers ever since India joined WTO)..

I think this issue is under wraps kind and has had more coverage in western than Indian media. It is a very serious topic and I don't see our curative and not preventive govt acting till it reaches an alarming point... to Indian POlitics..


I have found this is a very short yet informative article on Vidarbha worth a look..
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/iwmi-tata_html/PM2003/PDF/11_Highlight.pdf

 

[Black Stone]

This is tragic news, condolences to his family.