The recent suicides take the total tally this year to an alarming 410 (January to July). Majority of these farmers had taken loans from the private sector.
The cotton-growing belt of Vidarbha is facing an acute problem reporting four cases of suicides in the last 48 hours following failure of crop due to severe drought situation.
The recent suicides take the total tally this year to an alarming 410 (January to July). Majority of these farmers had taken loans from the private sector.
Climate change leading to delayed rains have caught the small and marginal farmers reeling under heavy debt. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has sought the statistics of farmers who are badly affected by the drought in the six distressed districts of Vidarbha to work out an economic package this week. He has conveyed to the department of relief and rehabilitation to extend financial help immediately to the small and marginal farmers in the region.
According to Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti president Kishore Tiwari, “The delayed monsoon has compounded the problems for Vidarbha farmers. In the last fortnight the region has almost witnessed ten cases of suicides unable to repay the heavy loans taken from moneylenders and financial institutions due to crop failure.”
The statistics in Vidarbha region of farmers suicides are alarming. They show that in the year 2012 (January to July), there were 410 cases of farmers deaths. The financial institutions have been able to provide loans to only 40% of the 30 lakh farmers in the region.
Senior officials in the agriculture department confirmed, “The farmers suicides in Vidarbha region have risen. Small and marginal farmers who depend on the single crop are reeling under severe financial problems.”
The ministry sources admitted, “The BT Cotton production which appeared lucrative is not working with the small and marginal farmers. Even a single crop failure hits them hard as they have to make huge investments in terms of purchasing seeds and feritisers.”
Tiwari said, “Farmers are seeking seeds for sowing jowar, bajra, groundnuts and pulses on dry land.”
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