1.5 lakh farmers committed suicide between 1997 and 2005

[singh1981]

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/22sld1.htm

[piush_tomar]

Dear Sukhbeer,

No body Cares..you can see how many reply you have..people talk abt dollars..nobody discuss root cause problems...

Piyush Tomar

[sumitsehrawat]

Sorry guys if dollar was that threatening:). To be honest, I am really clueless on the solution to farmer suicides.
1. See, we can blame the government without winking. But then, let us realize that one of the major factors for 'farmer suicide' is DROUGHT. Something that is natural. But still, we have to work to solve this mystery.

2. "The package also includes an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for a one-time settlement of the loans of indebted farmers. The erstwhile government too had started paying an ex-gratia grant of Rs 1 lakh to the affected families after suicides were initially reported in 1997-98. After giving the assistance to some 250 farmer families, the payments were stopped on the plea that such an ex-gratia would prompt more farmers to take their lives. The Congress, then in the opposition, had stepped in by collecting donations for providing assistance to the grieving families. "

The one in bold is TRUE.

3. "Although the newly-elected government of Andhra Pradesh (and followed closely by Tamilnadu) have moved in quickly by announcing free power to farmers, what is more depressing is that the governments are clueless of the reasons that forces farmers to commit suicides. Nor is there any effort from the so-called distinguished agricultural scientists, economists, and social scientists to come out with proposals to put an end to this shameful blot on the country's image. The reason is obvious. No one has the political courage to point a finger at the real villain -- industrial farming model that shifts the focus on cash crops and thereby plays havoc with sustainable livelihoods. "
Is this guy not CORRECT?????

4. Blindly aping the World Bank model of agriculture (as suggested by McKinsey India Ltd.), Karnataka and Andhra had pumped in huge finances to push in an industry-driven agriculture that has not only exacerbated the crisis leading to an environmental catastrophe but also destroyed millions of rural livelihoods. The biggest tragedy being that both the States had turned into a national capital of shame for farmers' distress, visible more through the increasing rate of suicides in the rural areas. Making available cheap credit to these marginal farming communities, as has been announced by the Finance Minister, will not be helpful. What these poor and marginalised need immediately is income support.

5. The ground realities are far removed from the rhetoric and the statistics that have bred immunity against compassion. We are all part of a global food system, which perpetuates poverty and deprivation. The food industry makes tall claims of nutritious diet that it churs out, and millions are dying of obesity and related problems. We make tall claims of improved technology for agriculture by pushing stark realities of increasing indebtedness, growing poverty, resulting human suffering and hunger from the public glare. We are, therefore, in reality, the cause behind hunger and the resulting farmers suicides. Behaving like an Ostrich is surely not going to eclipse hunger and death from the politico-economic radar screens.

Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/gl-sharma290604.htm
Devinder Sharma is a New Delhi-based food and trade policy analyst. Among his recent works include the book In the Famine Trap. Responses can be emailed at: dsharma@ndf.vsnl.net.in

Thanks,
Sumit

[lrburdak]

Causes of farmers' suicide

* absence of adequate social support infrastructure at the level of the village and district
* uncertainty of agricultural enterprise in India
* indebtedness of farmers
* rising costs of cultivation
* plummeting prices of farm commodities
* lack of credit availability for small farmers
* relative absence of irrigation facilities
* repeated crop failures

Remedies

* government to actually implement the various money-lending Acts that already exist to prevent the alienation of the farmers land-holding
* to make the crop Insurance Scheme more farmer friendly, with lower premia and less red-tape
* renewal of the land’s biodiversity to ensure the health of land and enable the farmer to cope with market ups and downs
* better health facilities in the locality since expenditure on health has been one of the most important financial drain in the village
* better education facilities at school level in the villages to enable better coping with a more technologically oriented agriculture
* quality checks on agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to prevent cheating of the farmer by unscruplous suppliers of industrial inputs for agriculture
* reliable agricultural advisories for farmers on farm related practises
* better access to markets for agricultural produce to get higher rates for farm produce

[rohittewatia]

Last but not the least, high paying MNC's in india...there was a discussion here before when P.m Manmohan singh called CEO's n asked them why they were getting/ paying such high salaries....these things creates inequality in the country...Naturally, the cost of living is going to rise, when surplus money is in market...Think of the fact that a 22-23 year old getting 50-60k per month, where as a farmer can't even afford the college fees of his kids...having tilled the land fr whole of his life...Ofcourse, there is no reverse way fr the industry to turn back the salaries, the previous way, since the trend has already started...but if these things keep on rising, companies cn even think abt cheaper countries...The only reason china is lagging behind in software is due to their english...

If the govt. doesn't steps in heavily in forthcoming future, takes major steps fr resolvin the problems our villages population face, it would not be beneficial fr whole country growth...

[rohittewatia]

Almost forgot to mention, when govt imports wheat from outside, but won't buy from own famers produce....the reason someone gave was to keep the costs down in the country....???? For sure, they wud pay outside countries more....even seemed like a scandal case.