Farmers suicide

Welcome

Tothe Farmers of India

who toil to feed the Nation

Farmer Suicide in India

Prepared By:

Pravinkumar Sukre

Agenda

Indian Farmer’s Crisis: History and Background

Why, Where and How is it happening?

Cotton Farmers

Vidarbha, State of Maharashtra

Case Study

Responses to farmers' suicides

Suggestions & Recommendations to alleviate the

present situation

Conclusion

References

Indian Farmer’s Crisis:

History and Background

The Indian, largest body of surviving small farmers in the

world, today faces a crisis of extinction.

Farming Dislinked and Linked

Chemicals and Drought produce zero yield in late 1980s

1997 witnessed the first emergence of farm suicides in India.

In 1998, the World Bank’s structural adjustment policies

forced India to open up its seed sector to global

corporations.

Why is it happening?

A shift from ‘food first to trade first’ &‘farmer first to

corporate first’.

Dramatic fall in prices of farm produce as a result of

free trade policies of the WTO.

The deficiencies in institutional and infrastructures

factor

Deregulation of markets and withdrawal of state from

effective price regulation, leading to collapse in price

of farm commodities.

The Tipping-point

A crop failure, an unexpected health expense or the

marriage of a daughter are perilous to the livelihood of

these farmers

Suicide has spread like an epidemic among the

distraught farmers.

Many farmers have committed suicide by drinking the

very pesticides that no longer work on their crops.

Where is it happening?

Maharashtra

Andhra Pradesh

Karnataka

Madhya Pradesh

Kerala

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

Where is it happening?

Maharashtra

Andhra Pradesh

Karnataka

Madhya Pradesh

Kerala

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

Source: http://agrariancrisis.in

The number of farmers

committing suicide is staggering

Total 2,84,694 farmers have taken their

lives since 1995 -2012 in 18 years.

The farmers’ suicide rate (FSR/SMR) was

16.3 per 100,000 farmers in 2012.

On average, there has been one farmer’s

suicide every 42 minutes since 2012.

68 per cent of all the 13,754 (in 2012) farm

suicides took place in ‘Big 4’

Source: NCRB, 2012 & Report of Prof. K. Nagraj of Madras Institute of Dev. Studies

Farmer Suicide Data

Farmer Suicide: no end to despair

2012

3,786

2,572

1,875

1,172

1,081

745

564

499

344

276

270

146

119

75

68

29

19

18

14

11

10

10

10

4

1

Maharashtra

Andhra Pradesh

Karnataka

Madhya Pradesh

Kerala

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

Tamil Nadu

Assam

Haryana

Rajasthan

Odisha

Jharkhand

Punjab

Bihar

Himachal Pradesh

Sikkim

Tripura

Uttarakhand

Arunachal Pradesh

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Jammu & Kashmir

Chhattisgarh

Goa

Source: Wikipedia

Common features in majority

of suicides

91-94 % of suicides are by family heads

91-97 % of those who committed suicide

are males

84 to 89 percent are married

98 percent had no access to irrigation

Age Classification of Suicide Victims

3409

9310

1035

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

Upto 29 Years 30 to 59 Years 60 Years & Above

Source: http://www.downtoearth.org.in

Women farmer, too, commit suicide

Tough battles for bank

loans

Schooled herself in seeds

and fertilizers

Drought and Crop Failed

No Family member go

hungry

Undefined Sacrifice

14%

86%

Farmer Suicide Cases (Female)

Farmer Suicide Cases (Male)

Source: http://www.downtoearth.org.in

How is it happening?

Deterioration of economic condition

Continuous crop failure

Improper and unstable price

Bank loan

High cost technology

Family expenditure

Marriage expenditure

Government Support

Problems in Agriculture Supply Chain

Farmer

30%

Village Commission

Agent

15%

District Commission

Agent

20%

Processor

15%Wholesaler

5%Retailer

15%Consumer

100%

Source: Farm Digest Journal

Cotton Farmers

2/3rd of farm suicides take place in 4

cotton-growing States

Bt cotton is a genetically modified (GM) crop

Clone Seeds Certification process and

Regulation on companies and Dealers

Role of State Government

Credit System and Debt Trap

Increasing cost of agriculture inputs and

Reduced price of agriculture produces

Pesticide Trap Affect Farmer

[Issue] [Best practices to improve recruiting process ROI]

[Time-to-hire]

[Quality-of-

hire]

[Number of

vacancies

outstanding]

[Cost-per-hire]

[Longevity-of-

hires]

[Recruit

source

effectiveness]

[Time-to-

productivity

[Determine items critical to business success.]

[Measure preprocess and postprocess or technology

implementation.]

[Compare vacancies against industry-leading

benchmarks.]

[Have vendors work to provide models and tools for

collecting and evaluating data.]

[Report performance regularly as part of standard

management reporting package.]

[Develop programs to address process deficiencies in

individual benchmark areas.]

Source: http://www.ecotippingpoints.org

Effects of Fiscal deficit on credit cycle

& farmers suicide

Source: http://www.arthakranti.org/

Vidarbha, State of Maharashtra

Home to 3.2 million cotton farmers.

Geographical Status

Major Affected Districts

farmers’ suicide still 2012

One suicide in every eight hours

Age Group of the suicide farmers

in Vidarbha

1%

35%

52%

12%

0-19 Year

20-39 Year

40-59 Year

Above 60Years

Source: Farmers Suicides in Vidarbha, By Dr. Sangita Warade

Educational Status of the suicide

farmers in Vidarbha

12%

19%

19%

42%

8% Illiterate

Primary School

Middle School

High School

College


Distribution of Farmers as per size of

holding (Ha) in Vidharbha

16%

33%31%

17%

3%

0-0.99

1-1.99

2-3.99

4-9.99

Above 10


Case Study in Vidarbha-1

This family belongs to the SC group. The total landholding is 2 acres,

with one acre irrigated. The major crops are cotton, jowar, tur, wheat

and groundnut. He was a cultivator and a labourer. He belonged to the

below poverty line (BPL) group. He incurred a loan of Rs. 45,000/-

for the purchase of a bullock cart, but was unable to pay the loan for

the last seven years. He had a fall from the tractor and was not able to

work after that. Money had to be spent for his treatment. He then

stayed with a cultivator as a labourer. He returned back to his house

and committed suicide on 05.11.09.

No government compensation was offered to the family.

Case Study in Vidarbha-2

This family belongs to the high caste group. The total landholding is

four acres. The major crops are cotton, jowar and tur. He had incurred

loans from the moneylender, bank and relatives to the tune of

Rs. 90,000/- since the last five years and had turned a defaulter on all

the loans since the last four years. Crop failure, compounded by

expenditure incurred due to marriage, and an appendicitis operation

led to his suicide on 18.04.10. His younger son has sold of the property

and left the village.

No government compensation was offered to the family

Responses to farmers' suicides

2006 relief package

Agricultural debt waiver and debt relief scheme, 2008

Maharashtra Bill to regulate farmer loan terms, 2008

Maharashtra relief package, 2010

Kerala Farmers’ Debt Relief Commission (Amendment)

Bill, 2012

2013 diversify income sources package

Suggestions & Recommendations to

alleviate the present situation

A comprehensive Agricultural Insurance Scheme

Organic farming and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Biodiversity must be the basis of production to reduce

vulnerability to climate and markets.

Strongest action under Indian Penal Code should be taken

against suppliers and manufactures of spurious pesticides.

Suppliers of spurious/inferior seeds must be

punished

Suggestions & Recommendations to

alleviate the present situation

Institutionalized Credit System to the farmers must

be simplified.

Role Gram Panchayats

Extension agencies with a vision of eco-friendly sustainable

development.

The role of commission agents, traders and intermediaries

should be minimized

Agriculture policy needs to shift from its current bias of

‘corporates first’ to ‘farmers first’.

Conclusion

From Suicide Relief to Suicide Prevention

Multiple Livelihood Opportunities

Traditional Knowledge & Modern Science

Before advising farmers, listen to them

Social and Political Support toward famer

References

Sainath P.: “Farmers suicides”: Case Study of Prof. Nagraj K. (Madras Institute of Dev. Studies):

Website http://www.indiatogather.org/ 2012/nov/psa-mids1.htm

Uma Sudhir: “Women farmers who commit suicide ignored by state”:

Website http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/

Swaminathan M.S. (2010): “From Green to Evergreen Revolution”:

New Delhi :Academic Foundation.

Deshpande R.S. and Saroj Arora (2010): “Agrarian Crisis and Farmer Suicides”:

New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

YASHADA, TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) and Sakal Agro Won Vidarbha

Agrarian crisis/ Relief Package/ Social Watch Report/ Green Earth/ Help Age India

Agrarian Crisis - nature, causes & remedies.

Aparna Pallavi: “farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra”:

Website http://www.downtoearth.org.in/

WIKIPEDIA-Free Encyclopedia

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/