Agrarian Distress and Farmers Suicides

Abstract

Agriculture is the main stay for more than 60% of Indian population. Agriculture has been attributed to failure of monsoons and gambling with rainfall. More than 80% of farmers belongs to the category of marginal and small scale farmers. The failure of monsoon lead to draught, lack of better prices and exploitation by the middleman are making the farmer caught by debt crop. The unbearable debt burden on the one side and apathy by the administrators and policy makers to understand suicides in real terms making the farmer to commit suicide. Further, the impact of globalisation, increased cost of cultivation making the farmers to commit suicide without finding best other alternatives to lead a normal life. The need of the hour is to declare agriculture similar to manufacturing industry and to provide similar status so that innovative agricultural activities may be started.