A different angle on Agri Suicide

Suicide seems to the easy solution to burgeoning liabilities that is plaguing majority of the farmers today. According to a research group, around 25,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1997, 6 out of 10 farmers in Andhra Pradesh also suffered the same fate. These are based on the record that are available with the State or related functionaries, so if one counts on the unaccounted suicides, the figure will rise by more than 20%. Many reasons can be attributed to such a horrifying measure being adopted, some of which are rising cost of cultivation, Lack of Credit facilities and low prices of farm commodities.

Does all the above-mentioned factors alone attribute to the rise in suicides? Does data present somewhat a different story? Or are we missing the right picture among the news hungry journalists, who sometimes goes over the limit to grab attention, wily politicians who use this tool to garner more votes and newsmongers like us who read for an intellectual satisfaction. Data do present a large picture on the reasons for suicide but there are also several other factors, like social image, daughter’s marriage, and lone earning member, dependent ailing parents, which add to the already burdening crisis mentioned earlier.

All of us earn to feed ourselves, our family, our children, hence, farmers are no different. Farmers understand the world only through farming. They live, eat and sleep farming thus making this industry on of the most crucial points in the government policies. Money is required maintaining their land, purchase of fertilizers, feeding the animals that help them in grazing, tools and miscellaneous. When they don’t reap profits from cropping, they resort to loans from banks and financial institutions and when they turn them down, they seek out the most dangerous option of borrowing through moneylenders who charge them with rates ranging from 36%-50%. They borrow not out of foolishness but out of need.

When the date of repayment comes, many of them fail; estimates are that around 80% of the borrowers are tending to become defaulters. Reasons are many among the ones mentioned earlier, fail of crop, drought season, floods, low quality seeds etc. After having to fight these ‘babus’ for a prolonged time, selling their land, cattle and remaining ‘assets’, the still ‘pending’ payments take a lot out of them mentally, and find their ultimate solution through suicide. Hence, it concludes that the 80% of the said defaulters will find the same fate and resort to the same measure adopted by their brother’s? A different analysis finds different answers.

Case studies sate that farmers who have defaulted for more than 13 to 17 years for amount ranging from 10000 and 13000, life is normal, free of financial tension. 10% of suicide has happened where the loan amount is in the range of 2000-10000 and 8% of cases, where no loan has been taken. Various cases have shown where the applicant have large share of land, good cultivated area, low amount of debt, are committing suicide. Suicide in Maharashtra, which is higher than the national average, is not purely pertaining to crop failure or debt. Hence we cannot conclude that the financial aspect alone is the reason for high number of suicides. Data also does not support in terms of direct linkage between debt, their size, tenure, and default period, to suicide.

Stress, due to all above considered reasons for farmer suicide, is the main cause for the suicide attempt. Earning member of the family due to his inability to see her daughter married off to a good family at the right age faces a lot of stigma from his society. Pressure, forces him to avail loan in the name of farming, the money being invested for other purpose thus not yielding to the desired ‘benefits’ to repay the loan

Being the only earning member of the family is also a major concern. Women, unmarried, widowed are not allowed to be in the public, thus adding their inability to help to their already struggling breadwinner. Stress of failed crops, ailing bullocks, feeding and their maintenance, cost of cultivation, new technology all add up along with their knowledge of inability of repayment create only one opportunity in their mind-Suicide.

Solutions to this have to start from the central government, to the state, percolating down to the intended farmers. Study has to be made on the stress related suicide, creating a counseling group, medical insurance, crop insurance, cattle insurance, their need and importance, subsidies on technology; land and water management has to be conducted with vigor and passion. Only a collective effort can save these ignorant citizens of India from another era of debacle, and save the community, which represent India to the world.

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