Farm suicides

A total of 10,881 farmers and farm labourers died by suicide in 2021, the year that witnessed a prolonged agitation against the three contentious farm laws enacted (and later scrapped) by the Centre. This count is the highest in recent years, surpassed only by the death toll of 11,379 recorded in 2016. On an average, about 30 persons engaged in the farm sector ended their lives every day in 2021. Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides (4,064), followed by Karnataka (2,169) and Madhya Pradesh (671). The northern food-bowl states of Punjab and Haryana witnessed 270 and 226 deaths, respectively.

It’s a cause for concern that the number of farm suicides is rising again after a steady decline in the preceding years. The major factors forcing farmers and farm labourers to take the extreme step are: crop failure due to inclement weather, diseases or pest attacks; high indebtedness; and the crash in crop prices. In September last year, a 45-year-old farmer had ended his life in Pune (Maharashtra); in the suicide note, he had blamed the Prime Minister for his death, while lamenting that he was not getting the minimum support price for his crops and was also being harassed by loan recovery agents.

It’s obvious that the Centre’s grand goal of doubling farmers’ income is a distant dream. The priority right now should be to prevent them from resorting to distress sale of their produce. The annadata who puts in blood, sweat and tears to produce foodgrains, thereby doing his bit for the nation’s food security, deserves a fair deal. The gaps in the implementation of various policies and schemes for enhancing farmers’ income must be plugged. With extreme weather events triggered by climate change becoming the norm, the farming community needs greater support to face the ever-increasing challenges. Confidence-building measures should be initiated to ensure that no farmer or farm labourer is driven to the brink of ruin and self-destruction.