Thousands of precious human lives have been lost. Innumerable poverty-stricken families have been broken in body and mind. This is the hard reality of the suicide committed by farmers in India - a catastrophe that has befallen the agricultural system in India. In recent years, a large number of marginal farmers in India have put a premature end to their lives in despair and the numbers are staggering. Since 1995, more than 3 lakh farmers in India have ended their lives and their families and communities have been left shattered. The state of Maharashtra takes the largest share of those numbers and, therefore, it is known as the epicenter of farm related suicides in India.
Mass suicides relating to a single profession raises serious questions concerning the system around which the farming profession is built. No doubt, the agricultural system and the economy supporting it are not in favour of the small scale farmers. The circumstances under which farmer suicides take place vary significantly from case to case. Yet the common factors remain the same: unmanageable debt, government apathy, lack of social support, crop failure, which altogether makes up the broad term ‘agrarian distresses’.
The problem of suicides by farmers is not just an Indian problem. It is a global concern. Similar incidents of suicides have been reported even in developed countries and developing countries alike. Agriculture is hence termed as a high risk and high stress profession. However, the situation in India is different. Indian agriculture is prone to the vagaries of the Monsoon as large portions of Indian agricultural canvas are yet to be covered by artificial irrigation. Infrastructural benefits have not yet completely reached the Indian farmer. In the absence of formal channels of credit from banks and financial institutions, the marginal farmer relies heavily on costly loan from moneylenders. Thus the small farmer is even cheated and deprived of the occasional respite of loan waivers which trickles down through the banking system.
The spectre of mass suicides by farmers continues to haunt the governments at the Centre and the States. Unable (or unwilling) to tackle the menace structurally, governments have resorted to short term solutions such as announcing loan waivers. Some State Governments have even suppressed data on farmers’ suicide. The increasing death toll becomes a weapon for political mudslinging. However, lasting solutions have not yet germinated. Farmers’ suicide continues to remain a stain in the much vaunted modern Indian economic growth story.
The fate of the surviving family members of farmers ending their lives is even more tragic. There seems to be no escape or end to their distress. They not only carry the pain of losing a family member, who is also a bread winner, but they are also pursued by money lenders for the repayment of a loan taken at exorbitant interest rates! Not all the survivors of farmers committing suicides qualify for financial relief by the Government. Farmer suicides have pushed many households into destitution. Thus, the vicious circle is constantly pushed wider. A fitting response to the problem of farmer suicides needs to include multi-pronged strategies. This response needs to begin with a humanitarian concern for the poor farmer.
The marginal farmer needs to be empowered by providing multiple options for earning income as well as providing psychological aid. On our part, we could express solidarity with the farmers by supporting Farmers’ Movements, spreading awareness on problems of farmers, reducing waste, and promoting and practicing ecological sensitivity. The farmers supply our basic human need of nourishment. In return for this service they render to humanity, they deserve a fair deal when it comes to the matter of their own survival.
Sch. Praveen Kiran Martis SJ
DNC Times, Sep 2019, pg 17-18.
Mass suicides relating to a single profession raises serious questions concerning the system around which the farming profession is built. No doubt, the agricultural system and the economy supporting it are not in favour of the small scale farmers. The circumstances under which farmer suicides take place vary significantly from case to case. Yet the common factors remain the same: unmanageable debt, government apathy, lack of social support, crop failure, which altogether makes up the broad term ‘agrarian distresses’.
The problem of suicides by farmers is not just an Indian problem. It is a global concern. Similar incidents of suicides have been reported even in developed countries and developing countries alike. Agriculture is hence termed as a high risk and high stress profession. However, the situation in India is different. Indian agriculture is prone to the vagaries of the Monsoon as large portions of Indian agricultural canvas are yet to be covered by artificial irrigation. Infrastructural benefits have not yet completely reached the Indian farmer. In the absence of formal channels of credit from banks and financial institutions, the marginal farmer relies heavily on costly loan from moneylenders. Thus the small farmer is even cheated and deprived of the occasional respite of loan waivers which trickles down through the banking system.
The spectre of mass suicides by farmers continues to haunt the governments at the Centre and the States. Unable (or unwilling) to tackle the menace structurally, governments have resorted to short term solutions such as announcing loan waivers. Some State Governments have even suppressed data on farmers’ suicide. The increasing death toll becomes a weapon for political mudslinging. However, lasting solutions have not yet germinated. Farmers’ suicide continues to remain a stain in the much vaunted modern Indian economic growth story.
The fate of the surviving family members of farmers ending their lives is even more tragic. There seems to be no escape or end to their distress. They not only carry the pain of losing a family member, who is also a bread winner, but they are also pursued by money lenders for the repayment of a loan taken at exorbitant interest rates! Not all the survivors of farmers committing suicides qualify for financial relief by the Government. Farmer suicides have pushed many households into destitution. Thus, the vicious circle is constantly pushed wider. A fitting response to the problem of farmer suicides needs to include multi-pronged strategies. This response needs to begin with a humanitarian concern for the poor farmer.
The marginal farmer needs to be empowered by providing multiple options for earning income as well as providing psychological aid. On our part, we could express solidarity with the farmers by supporting Farmers’ Movements, spreading awareness on problems of farmers, reducing waste, and promoting and practicing ecological sensitivity. The farmers supply our basic human need of nourishment. In return for this service they render to humanity, they deserve a fair deal when it comes to the matter of their own survival.
Sch. Praveen Kiran Martis SJ
DNC Times, Sep 2019, pg 17-18.
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