The Hindu Business Line : Farmers' suicides: `A pressing concern for all'

Suggestions
Rytu Mitra Groups must have more meaningful role in helping out farmers.
They need Government support to make them successful.

Hyderabad , July 30

Though Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab are among the most developed States in the country more farmers in these States have been committing suicides.

The Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, is puzzled as to why farmers in these States though far better off than their peers in States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Orissa, were resorting to suicides when the same does not seem to be happening in the other States.

"All of us should think over this issue seriously to find a solution. Each one of us have different theories for farmers suicides but we should collectively discuss to find a way out," he said.

Bt farming

Mr Ramesh, who represents Andhra Pradesh in Rajya Sabha, told Business Line that an important factor for more farmers' suicides in the State was the Bt cotton factor.

"Most suicides reported here have happened mostly in the Bt farming community," he said. Lack of institutional credit too played a role. He said that farmers of Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar too were facing the same problem.

The differentiating factor, however, seemed to be the high aspiration levels of farmers. "They have been aggressive and enterprising. High aspirations resulted in high input agriculture that turned their practices into a high risk proposition," he explained.

Agriculture in the mid-90s had become riskier in parts of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, unlike the 80s, he said.

Govt support

Earlier, interacting with farmers at a workshop on organic farming, he felt that Rytu Mitra Groups (RMGs) should have a more meaningful role in helping out farmers. What they needed was Government support to make them as successful as women self-help groups.

Surprised that only a few farmers attending the workshop had kisan cards, he promised to take up the issue with the Union Finance Minister and "see to it that all farmers get these cards. Not just kisan cards, they should also get credit."

Solar poly houses

In order to help chilli farmers get more returns on their produce, the Spices Board had decided to install 100 solar poly houses in chilli growing areas in the State. The first such facility would be inaugurated by Mr Jairam Ramesh in Guntur in September.

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