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Dying farmers of India


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According to the provisional data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 11,370  farmers committed suicide in 2016. At least one farmer commits suicide every  hour in India.
So let me breakdown the reasons that drive farmers to commit suicides.
Why people commit suicide?
According to mental health daily, people commit suicide when they view  their current situation as being completely hopeless and feel as if they have no way to change things for the better. Common causes of suicide include :
  • Depression
  • Drug abuse
  • Financial problems
  • Relationship issues
In the case of Indian farmers, depression, due to financial problems is the telling cause.
Why Indian farmers are depressed?
50-60% of population depend on agriculture as a means of livelihood. Most of them are small and marginal farmers, meaning, they hold a meager 1-2 hectares of land. Almost entire agriculture on India is rain fed. However, monsoons are not consistent.Climate change exacerbates the problem. Farmer finances his/her inputs from banks and money lenders. After a good amount of hard work, there are two possibilities:
  1. Bumper crop with good remunerative prices : profit to the farmer. However this is a remote possibility. If this is the case, why would farmers, throw tomatoes on streets after a good harvest?  With bumper crop, on a large scale, farmers have to sell at throw away prices. Huge loss! But they have huge liabilities back home- banks are a bit generous, money lenders can't be. 
  2. Drought/ Flood : Farmer is at an obvious loss. All his/her investment is wasted, along with some of his assets like cattle etc., Government though promises relief, not sure if it reaches the small and marginal.
If these conditions persist, along with various other disabilities like economic backwardness, lack of good education, health care, sanitation, alcoholism etc., they are bound to be depressed. Occasional knee-jerk sops like farm loan waiver is a no solution to the old, deep rooted and wide-spread problem.
A lot is left undone in agricultural sector. The famous quote of Jawaharlal Nehru in initial years of India seem relevant even today. Agriculture is to be reformed urgently.         
 "Most things except agriculture can wait "


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