Good rains fail to offer respite to farmers in state

MUMBAI: Despite satisfactory rainfall this monsoon, farmer suicides have not gone down.

MUMBAI: Despite satisfactory rainfall this monsoon, farmer suicides have not gone down.

HT Image

As many as 2,307 farmers have killed themselves so far this year. The number is 45 more than the number of suicides reported during the corresponding period in 2015. The rate of farmer suicide in the past four months has reduced marginally — from 1,161 cases during June-September in 2015 to 1,014 during the same period this year.

In the backdrop of the 3,228 suicides in 2015, the highest ever, the state government seemed hopeful about the reduction in the number of suicides because of the satisfactory monsoon this year. After the drought-like situation in more than two-third of the state in the first five months of the year, the administration claimed that suicides will decline once the monsoon sets in. However, recent figures collated by the administration proves that more than a thousand famers ended their lives.

The rate of suicides in a few districts of the Vidarbha has been on the rise during the monsoon. The eight districts of Marathwada that were severely affected by the drought recorded more than 90 suicides a month for the past two months, though slightly lesser than April and May this year.

The suicide rate this year has been much higher than that in 2012, 2013 and 2014 — the years of acute water scarcity. 1,473, 1,296 and 1,981 farmers committed suicide in these years, respectively.

“We have asked for reports from district collectors. Most of the suicides are for non-agricultural reasons,” said agricuture minister Pandurang Fundkar. “Except for a few districts in Marathwada where crops have been lost to the drought, sowing has crossed 100% of the cultivable area everywhere and crops are expected to be satisfactory.”

“In many parts of the Vidarbha and Marathwada, standing crops wilted due to excessive rainfall. The farmers have not been in the condition to take benefit of the above-average rainfall, as many of them still are indebted. Although the government announced loans, the new ones were not passed in many parts,” said Vijay Jawandhia, agriculture expert.

Jawandhia also slammed Fundkar for saying that the reasons for the suicides were non-agricultural. “When in the Opposition, the BJP leaders targeted the then government for the suicides and now want to shrug off the responsibility by pointing at other issues,” he said.