Farmers are the backbone of India as India is an agricultural country. The citizens of India depend entirely on the farmers for their yearly harvest. Despite this dependence, it is unfortunate and sad to note that there is a staggering increase in farmer suicides in our country.
Farmers Suiciding In India Essay – 500 Words
Every year, there are so many cases of farmer suicides that occur in our country for several reasons. We need to save the farmers of our country from this misery as we get our food on our plates because of their efforts.
It is extremely distressing to note that in a country like India, where more than 70% of the total population either directly or indirectly depends on agriculture, the case of farmer suicides are increasing each day.
As per recent statistics, nearly 12% of the total suicide in India has been committed by farmers. In 2015, the national crime records Bureau of India reported around 6780 farmer suicide cases.
Statistics on farmer suicide cases
With the increasing rates of farmer suicides in India, there will come a time when there will be no farmer to reap crops for the citizens of the country. The rate of suicides among farmers was between 1.4- 1.9 among every 10,000 farmers over the last decade that began in 2005.
It is needless to say that India is an agricultural country and hence its staple diet depends entirely on agriculture and farming. Hence, farmers happen to be the most necessary people in this country.
Indians rely heavily on them for obtaining their daily food materials. However, it is unfortunate to note that there are hundreds of farmers committing suicide almost every year. While the reasons are many, the main reason is because of the social and economic neglect that they face throughout their lives.
Basic facts on farmer suicide in India
Agriculture is one of the main sectors in India and 70% of the population of India depends on agriculture for their livelihood. In spite of the rapid growth in the tertiary and secondary sectors of India, a large majority of people depend entirely on agriculture.
After the introduction of the Green Revolution, India has become self-sufficient in production of grains for daily use. Currently there are several farmers that take resort to modern tools and methods for farming. Here are few of the basic facts on farmer’s suicide.
- There are 7 states in our country that primarily account for 88% of the suicides in the farming sector. The names of these states are Telengana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Maharashtra has the highest number of suicides.
- Small farmers also commit suicides and hence these aren’t only restricted to the marginal farmers.
- States like Punjab mainly benefit from the Green Revolution and they too have a fair share of farmer suicides.
- Maharashtra accounted for 35% of the farmer suicides all over the country in 2016.
Potential Reasons behind Farmer Suicides in India
Well, studies reveal that there are more than one reason behind the escalating number of farmer suicides in our country. All these reasons amalgamate to worsen this issue which can’t be reduced even after taking several measures. Here are few such reasons.
- One of the main reasons is drought. There are periods of droughts when due to insufficient rainfall, the crops don’t yield enough produce. Such a period becomes a time of huge loss for the farmers as all their hard work and money gets wasted. By the time, the drought period ends, they find themselves knee-deep in debt. Areas that face drought frequently are more prone to farmer suicides.
- The next reason is flood and they are equally dangerous as droughts. When there is heavy rainfall which leads to flood, the crops keep eroding and hence the farmers don’t get any final product from those crops. Moreover, they also have to pay a huge amount for their land which is also a sort of financial burden.
- Inability to pay off debt is yet another reason behind farmer suicides. They already take on huge loan amounts for growing crops but when they fail to pay off that debt, they think of committing suicide. Their family pressure is also high enough and hence when they fail to make ends meet, they end their lives for good.
- Capitalization tends to be one more reason for rising rates of farmer suicides. Nowadays, people usually opt for capitalization and privatization. There are big shot companies that monetize on crops and sell them with the help of marketing and promotional strategies.
- People nowadays prefer going to supermarkets rather than farmer’s markets for buying food and vegetables. This is also a vital reason behind the huge loss incurred by the farmers. As these companies buy the crops from the farmers at a very low rate, they run in for a loss.
Is there a way to prevent farmer suicides in India?
The government of India should take the required measures to address the issue immediately. It should set up extensive agricultural zones which can promote different types of agricultural activities.
However, there should be specific programs that teach the farmers about the different modern tools and techniques that are related to farming. This will make sure there is increased crop production throughout the year.
The facilities for irrigation of crops should be enhanced ad improved. Farmers should be given the best crop insurance policies that can provide them with the coverage against losses so that the farmers don’t dig themselves deeper into debt.
The government should also make sure that the farmers learn new skills through which they can bring in additional income to their family. If they start doing this, their lives won’t only be dependent on the production of crops. They will rather have another source of passive income.
So, if we have to protect the interest of our farmers, the government of India has to take all the above mentioned steps in order to ensure a peaceful life to the farmers of our country.