3 Vidarbha farmers end lives as CM Prithviraj Chavan applies Rs 2,000 crore balm

Three more debt-trapped cotton farmers in Vidarbha committed suicide on the same day that Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan were in Vidarbha to lay the foundation stone for a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Rs500 crore equipment-manufacturing plant at Mundipar village of Bhandara district. Though they announced an additional Rs.2,000 crore package to project-affected in the 25-year-old Gosikhurd irrigation project it has done little to lift spirits in the heartland farmer-suicide country where following this three deaths the toll this year has risen to 264.

Gajanan Gowardhan of village Hirapur in Yavatmal, Devendra Khandare of village Manjari in Akola and Dayarath Khakare of village Talked in Buldhana are the ones who ended their lives in the same duration that both VIPs were in the region.

"It has come to a point when the visit of any such leader only magnifies the horror and helplessness for the farmers since they see nothing happening on the ground to help them," complained Kishore Tiwari of the  farmers' advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS). 

Till around 1970, Vidarbha farmers cultivated cotton using their own seeds. With the use of hybrid seeds, yields increased significantly but so did need for costly fertiliser and insecticide. Many agriculturists have also blamed royalties for Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds for the spurt in suicides. In 2002, genetically modified BT cotton seeds arrived. They are non-renewable terminator seeds and must be re-purchased every year at costs dictated by the agro-tech majors. In fact in August 2012, technical experts committee appointed by the Supreme Court recommended a 10-year moratorium on all field trials of GM food, as well as the termination of all current trials of transgenic crops.

"Also, the government has never kept its word on the minimum support price (MSP) of cotton. Last year, cotton farmers had to take to the streets after the MSP for cotton was fixed at Rs.3,300/quintal, far below market rates of Rs.4,800," pointed out Tiwari. “Farmers had then demanded MSP of cotton be raised from Rs.3,300 to Rs.6,000/quintal to cover increases in production costs, but this has fallen on deaf years.” According to him, "The government, instead of announcing new schemes and compensation packages which anyway don't reach people could instead simply hike MSP."

The Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) declares MSP of agriculture commodities every May. It first makes a recommendation in April, following which states send their recommendations. Based on average country-wide production costs, support prices are announced to ensure prices don't fall lower than that. This year the CACP has recommended an MSP increase of barely Rs 100/quintal of cotton taking it to Rs 4,000. "This hike is not commensurate with constant inflation over the years, the volatility in fuel and power prices, and steep increase in fertiliser costs, among other inputs, not to mention the minimum wages for farm labourers which have just been increased by the government," explained Tiwari who added, "At current levels the current MSP won't recover even a part of the increased production cost."

Maharashtra's own agriculture department admits for instance, that production cost/quintal of cotton is Rs 5,900, up from last year's Rs 5,268. Yet the MSP being offered to farmers is Rs 4,000/quintal. Attempts to get a reaction from Sharad Pawar drew a blank. Maharashtra agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil admitted that cotton farmers' have brought this to the state government's attention. "I've already raised this issue. This involves the Union government. We have asked them to consider the demands of the farmers."

Wonder whether the debt-trapped farmers can wait till then?
 
The blood trail...

2004 - 456

2005 - 666

2006 - 1,886

2007 - 1,556

2008 – 1,680

2009 - 1,054

2010 - 1,060         

2011 - 1,184

2012 - 804

2013 - 264