The Hindu Business Line : Distress call

According to the Home Ministry, nine lakh farmers committed suicide between 1995 and 2003. And between 2001 and 2006, 5,910 farmers committed suicide in Karnataka, 1,835 in Andhra Pradesh, 981 in Maharashtra and 201 in Kerala.

This is higher than the national average of suicides, as it is reported that in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry alone 54,000 people kill themselves every year. In Kerala, 32 people commit suicide every day.

Suicide is indeed a serious problem that needs to be tackled at different levels. In a close community, if this social scourge occurs frequently it tends to get de-stigmatised and people take recourse to it to end their distress. In the case of farmers it is the geographical contiguity of the incidents that has drawn the attention of the print media. No doubt, the case of farmers needs to be addressed urgently, but it should not prevent us from following the search light all round.

The suicides in Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra are not a sudden occurrence. Farmers have been under great stress because of debt, poor yield, a volatile market for agricultural produce, drought and lack of irrigation facilities.

All the reasons are known to politicians, officials and, of course, a few conscientious journalists. Since the only relief method known to the government, most often though delayed, is to hand out doles, the effect is not likely to last long, even if the beneficiaries are not short-changed.

Also, society is sentimental about agriculture and feels remorseful when the farm problems are not addressed. But farmer suicides are the result of the paradigm shift in economic activity. As mechanisation of farms and contract farming are increasingly adopted, small land holders tend to get marginalised.

Globalisation too is a contributing factor. Work will flow to where it can be done most efficiently. Big retail chains will source their products at competitive prices. It is the small farmer who will bear the brunt of economic change, while consumers get used to low price, uniform quality and branded products.

There is no dearth of studies on farmer suicides, but there is no sign or willingness to engage in a bipartisan debate for long-term solutions with a commitment for action.

R. Sundaram

More Stories on : Natural Calamities | Impressions

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
A non-starter FTA

Bt cotton and the price blight

Why did Agni-III lose its fire?

Doha Round — Take it off the life-support system

Data Exclusivity law brooks no delay

`India is on a roll and people are betting on it'

Distress call

Duty for the bureaucracy

Farmer distress

Mumbai blasts