Agriculture 2007

AGRICULTURE: FARMERS’ SUICIDE - 2007(January to December, 2007) Compiled By K. SAMU Human Rights Documentation, Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, India Two of family commit suicide after officials auction their land (20) LUCKNOW: : Two members of a family committed suicide after revenue department officials wrongly auctioned eight bighas of their agricultural land for non-payment of a loan. Kamlesh Singh, son of Sharda Singh, and his cousin brother Suneel committed suicide in the first week of December in Kaimi Bhood village, Lakhimpur district. Sharda Singh had taken loan of Rs 43,000 in 2002 from a nationalised bank for starting a dairy business. He returned Rs 19,800 in March and Rs 10,000 in July 2007. Singh promised the bank he would pay the balance in six months. But on October 23, his land was auctioned without any notice. Reportedly, revenue department officials did not even visit the village, which is mandatory for the auction. The village head Rakesh Singh said no auction actually took place but the land was shown as auctioned to Jagdish Singh, a farmer. Witnesses, whose signatures are shown on auction papers, deny that they were present. (Indian Express 2/1/08) Farmers’ issues: UNPA keen on Left support (20) NEW DELHI: Ahead of the launch of a series of protest meetings across the country on the government’s “apathetic” attitude towards the plight of farmers, the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) on Monday met the Left party leaders in the hope of enlisting their support. Though the UNPA leaders said their meetings with Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat and his CPI counterpart A.B. Bardhan were “routine courtesy calls,” alliance convener N. Chandrababu Naidu did admit that they were looking for the Left parties’ support in the effort to mobilise opinion against the government on issues relating to the agriculture sector. Briefing mediapersons, the UNPA convener said large meetings were being planned in Aurangabad, Mumbai, Jharkhand and Haryana before the next session of Parliament. Thereafter, the UNPA will hold a “massive dharna” in here during the pre-recess budget session of Parliament. The UNPA also criticised the government for imposing the President’s rule in Nagaland and said it was done with an eye on rigging the upcoming elections. “All Raj Bhavans are being turned into Gandhi Bhavans,” Mr. Naidu said. UNPA chairman Mulayam Singh and alliance spokesman Amar Singh focussed on Uttar Pradesh and how Chief Minister Mayawati was using the bogey of development to force farmers to hand over fertile land to contractors she favoured. The Samajwadi Party would oppose the Noida-Ballia Ganga Expressway Project tooth and nail since farmers were being pushed out. Prior to addressing the press conference, the UNPA leaders met the Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices, T. Haque, and urged him to liberally fix the minimum support price for various crops in view of the precarious situation facing the farm sector. Though the entire UNPA leadership was present at the press conference, they fielded no political questions. As mediapersons sought to ask the former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader, Farooq Abdullah, whether he had joined the UNPA, and draw a comment from the alliance on reports of some of its partners allegedly hobnobbing with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Amar Singh quickly declared the press conference closed. (The Hindu 8/1/08) Vidarbha farmers still in the red (20) YAVATMAL (Maharashtra): As the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena set out to woo voters in suicide-hit Vidarbha, the farmers there continue to battle for survival even after the initial promise of the Prime Minister’s package. BJP president Rajnath Singh completed a whirlwind two-day yatra on Friday in Vidarbha while the Shiv Sena held a farmers’ rally at Shegaon on Saturday. In Bothbodan village, about 12 km from here, 18 farmers committed suicide in the last 18 months, according to Anup Chavan, former sarpanch. It had the highest number of suicides for any village in the area, he added and 11 of them followed crop failure. There were 400 families, most of them belonging to the Banjara community. The entire village was in debt. “All of us are defaulters,” said Kashinath Rathod. The Prime Minister’s package benefited 11 persons in the village. Tukaram Rathod, who owned five acres, said: “I was among those selected and the government gave me a diesel pump. I have a well so I thought the pump would help me.” However, he ended up paying Rs. 4,000 as a “contribution” to the cost of the pump. “It did not work even once. I started it and the whole thing burnt out,” said a dejected Tukaram. Under the package, he said he was to be given a diesel pump worth Rs. 10,000 and pipes worth Rs. 5,000. Tukaram took a loan to contribute for the pump. “The official said he would not give me the pump if I did not pay Rs. 4,000,” he said. His woes did not end there. In 2007, he bought 32 bags of Bt cotton seeds on loan from the Krishi Kendra at Kini, a nearby village. Not a single seed germinated, he said. “The seeds cost Rs. 17,000 but I had no luck. I planted it on 15 acres which I took on rent but I got no crop,” he said. He later learnt these were fake seeds. Now the Krishi Kendra, a private seeds and fertilizer shop, was harassing him for money everyday. “I told them if I am alive, I will repay you the amount for seeds and fertilizers,” said Tukaram. “I am on the brink of committing suicide. I have a debt of Rs. 80,000 now and I don’t know how to repay it, specially after my entire crop failed in 2007. The Kendra charges an interest of 5 per cent per month.” In 2006, Tukaram’s 60-year-old mother Parvati killed herself. She was one of the three women from Bothbodan who committed suicide. “We got no compensation as the land was not in her name. So many people came from Delhi even and promised me some money but nothing happened,” said Tukaram. Parvati took loans to get her two daughters married and for her crop but she could not repay them in time. ……. (The Hindu 13/1/08) Suicides down 15 pc in Vidarbha cotton belt (20) NAGPUR, JANUARY 16: The six cotton-producing districts of Vidarbha begin the New Year with the good news that suicides by farmers are now down by 15 per cent. From a record 1,448 in 2006, the number came down to 1,230 in 2007, according to the official state government website. The Indian Express had reported in September that the suicide rate was dropping slowly, thanks to a good monsoon and state and central government packages worth Rs 4,800 crore. Markets provided further relief in the latter half of the year, with cotton being purchased at Rs 2,300 per quintal and soyabean fetching a record Rs 2,000 per quintal. The corresponding prices last year were Rs 2,100 and Rs 1,300. In the crucial post-July period, the suicide figures have dropped even more substantially — by 21 per cent — from 797 in 2006 to 628 last year. This period is crucial as all major factors behind suicides — lack of funds for farm operations, bad monsoon, access to pesticides and market trends — come into play then. Trends over the past few years have shown the suicide tally is always divided lopsided between the two halves of the year. In 2004, it was 94 and 314 (total 411), in 2005, 128 and 303 (total 431), and in 2006 651 and 797, respectively. In 2007, the gap narrowed significantly, with 602 suicides before July and 628 in the remaining five months. What is also interesting is that among these suicides, only 233 have been attributed to agrarian causes (heavy loans, crop damage, harassment for loan recovery etc). Enquiries in 163 of the 1,230 suicides are still pending. In 2006, 577 of the 1,448 suicides were judged as agrarian. Thus, according to the Government, agrarian suicides came down from 40 per cent of the total in 2006 to 21 per cent last year. The Government probes all suicides to decide which are due to agrarian reasons. Among the six districts covered, Buldana registered a significant slump in suicide tally from 306 in 2006 to 186 in 2007. In Akola, the number come down from 174 to 125. But Yavatmal remains at the top with 359 suicides in 2007, just one less than the 2006 tally. Corresponding figures for Amravati, Wardha and Washim are 269-260, 154-128 and 185-173, respectively. (Indian Express 17/1/08) Massive loan waiver scheme for farmers on the anvil (20) NEW DELHI: The Union government is set to unveil a debt relief package for farmers, according to sources in the Agriculture Ministry. The scheme envisages writing off the unpaid loans of the small and marginal farmers and a big relief for the big farmers over four years. An estimated 30 million farmers had gone out of the institutional credit system due to defaults. On Monday, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram agreed on the broad contours of the policy, which will be finalised at the Prime Minister’s level. “We had a meeting. We discussed the package. It involves a huge investment but in principle we have agreed. Now we will meet the Prime Minister,” Mr. Pawar told The Hindu here. It will be decided at the Prime Minister’s level whether the funds needed should be raised by levying a “farmers’ rehabilitation cess or surcharge” or through a budgetary provision by diverting resources. The total outgo over four years is expected to be about Rs. 70,000 crore. The Agriculture Ministry has proposed imposition of a one per cent cess on direct taxes and two per cent on indirect taxes. This is expected to yield about Rs. 8,500 crore per annum. A credit risk fund, called the National Agriculture Stabilisation Fund, will be set up to cover the risk of future default due to reasons beyond the farmers’ control. Under the package to be announced in the budget proposals, the Ministry has proposed the waiver of the entire overdues from the small and marginal farmers owning land up to two hectares, entailing an outgo of about Rs. 25,000 crore. Seventy per cent of the farmers who had availed themselves of loans come under this category. For the rest, there will be a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme. It will be shared among the government, farmers and banks over four years. Those given debt relief will be eligible for fresh credit. It is estimated that the total overdue in the case of direct agriculture advances will be to the tune of Rs. 91,200 crore. Of this, the Non-Performing Assets is estimated at Rs. 31,200 crore, the overdue above one year at about Rs. 30,000 crore and the less-than-one-year overdue at Rs. 30,000 crore. The Ministry has also proposed that those paying back their loans regularly should be given a three per cent interest subvention, such as bringing down the rate of interest from seven to four per cent. This will be in line with the recommendation of the National Commission on Farmers. (The Hindu 23/1/08) 17,060 farm suicides in one year (20) Mumbai: Farm suicides in Maharashtra rose dramatically in 2006, more than in any other part of the country. The State saw 4,453 farmers’ suicides that year, over a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its report Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2006. That is the worst figure recorded ‘in any year for any State’ since the NCRB first began logging farm suicides. The previous worst — 4,147 in 2004 — was also in Maharashtra. It has seen ‘36,428 farmers’ suicides’ since 1995, ‘in official count.’ ‘2006 is the latest year for which data are available.’ The suicides in Maharashtra mark an increase of 527 over the 2005 figure. This was four and a half times bigger than that in Andhra Pradesh, the next worst-hit State, which saw a rise of 117 farm suicides over 2005. It was also more than twice the increase of 198 in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh taken together. Worse, it means farmers accounted for half ‘the increase’ in all suicides in Maharashtra in 2006. Significantly, Maharashtra’s upward spike occurred in the year when the relief packages of both the Prime Minister and Chief Minister — worth Rs. 4,825 crore in all — were being implemented in the Vidharbha region, where suicides have been most intense. The NCRB figures show an unrelenting uptrend in what can be termed the ‘SEZ’ or (Farmers) ‘Special Elimination Zone’ States. These States, which account for nearly two-thirds of all farm suicides in the country, include Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh). As a group, the ‘SEZ’ States saw an increase of 6.2 per cent in such deaths. Among them, Maharashtra (4,453), Andhra Pradesh (2,607) and Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (2,858) show a sharp upward spike. Karnataka (1,720) reports a decline. So though the all-India numbers for 2006 reflect a very small decline of 61 over the 2005 figure of 17,131, the broad trends of the last decade continue. And the trend of rapidly rising farm suicides, particularly post-2001 in the ‘SEZ’ States, remains unchanged. So the minuscule decline in the figure for the country as a whole marks no break from the dismal decade-long trend. NCRB data record 1,66,304 farmers’ suicides in a decade since 1997. Of these, 78,737 occurred between 1997 and 2001. The next five years — from 2002 to 2006 — proved worse, seeing 87,567 farmers take their own lives. This means that on average, there has been one farmer’s suicide every 30 minutes since 2002. (The Hindu 31/1/08) Now, a farm suicide story from Punjab (20) NEW DELHI: Twelve families, mostly children and widows, of indebted farmers who committed suicide in Punjab, a prosperous agricultural State, are here to knock at the doors of the Centre. On Thursday, the children will be joined by several others here in a solidarity march. They will wear T-shirts with the message, “Every farmer counts. Every child dreams.” The children had to give up their studies and are struggling to keep the local moneylender at bay. “Nothing can be done for you” is the common refrain they have been hearing from the local administration for years, even as the loans their farmer-fathers took multiply with huge interest. One farmer’s wife burnt herself to death rather than face the ignominy of having the artiya (moneylender) on her doorstep every week. Tears welled up in his eyes as 16-year-old Dharmendra from Chotia village recounted the death of his father, who consumed pesticide. Dharmendra has three siblings and mother to take care of. His father sold off his land and cleared part of the debt. The family still owes Rs. 4 lakh-5 lakh to the local moneylender as well as some relatives. Last year this 10th Class student gave up his studies, though he loves to pursue education, and became a daily wager. “We want karza-maafi [loan waiver],” he said. Paramjeet Kaur, a mother of three children, became a widow at the age of 28. “Unable to face the harassment for return of a loan, my husband consumed spray and took his own life.” Of the three children, the eldest daughter has continued her studies by taking up tailoring. Paramjeet herself is a daily wager and she even does household chores for neighbours. She wants karza-maafi and free education for her children. “Education is free for Dalits, but not for us Jats,” she said. Naresh Khan, 18, lost his mother who doused herself with kerosene and set herself afire. “The loan keeps increasing because of high interest.” Seventy-year-old Chameli’s farmer-son committed suicide not being able to return a loan of Rs. 1.5 lakh. Now Chameli, along with her daughter-in-law, works as a daily wager. “There are so many of us in the same boat; nobody is able to help anyone in Punjab,” she said. Surprisingly, none of them has heard of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. U.S.-based Harpreet Kaur of Sach Productions said activists came upon several families in Sangrur district, where the farmers had committed suicide. “We are highlighting the issue of farmers’ suicide and making a universal statement. These families are humiliated. They feel stressed out and start trembling when the moneylender comes, threatening to take away their land or homes. In our research, we have focussed on mothers and children, especially children because they suffer most.” Harpreet said this was the first time the children and women had come out of Punjab. “We hope our efforts, with the help of local NGOs, Lokraj and Navdanya, can help them get pension and that people will come forward to adopt these families.” On Thursday, the victims of farmers’ indebtedness will meet Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. They are also trying to seek an appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (The Hindu 31/1/08) NGOs’ protest march over farmer suicides (20) New Delhi, Jan. 30: Several non-governmental organisations, including Nav Danya, will march in protest against the unabated suicides of farmers across the country and against the failure of governments in checking the trend. The march will start from Mandi House and will end at Krishi Bhavan, where they will sit in protest. A Texas-based NGO in the United States, which is making a documentary on farmer suicides in Punjab, will also participate in the march. Also taking part in the protest march will be the farmer families from Sangrur district of Punjab where cotton farmers have committed suicides after their crops failed. The story of a 12-year-old daughter of a suicide victim, Jasbeer Kaur, is quite pathetic. Her mother abandoned her and two of her younger brothers when her husband Lala Singh took the extreme step after he failed to repay the loan to the village moneylender. His one-acre land failed him when he sowed cotton. Now, the only person left to take care of them is her 80-year-old grandmother. Jasbeer and her brothers are now studying in the local school run by the government with a monthly handout of Rs 1,000 extended by a local non-governmental organisation. In another family, the wife committed suicide after her husband was unable to pay back the loan in time. Sangrur also had a family which had four suicides in less than 10 years. First, Darshan Singh took his life on failure of a crop. Then his younger brother Nacchatar Singh took the extreme step for the same reason in 1995. Again, his younger brother Nika Singh committed suicide in 1998. In another case, the owner of a 10-acre land took his life out of depression. He sold the land after failing to repay the loan for cotton crop and became a landless labourer. This was unbearable for him as he passed through his sold land every day. (Asian Age 31/1/08) Karnataka farmers cook food on National Highway (20) “Krishan (her 27-year-old son had consumed pesticide) had asked what would happen if they failed to repay an installment. Amrayati.1 billion in Prime Minister Manmo-. Her three sons killed themselves about ten years ago. The police detained 50 proKannada activists who staged a semi-naked demonstration on MG Road. supporters of political parties are busy preparing for the elections. one farmer in the rain-fed paddy growing Gondia district in eastern Vidarbha too ended his life on Saturday.1 billion is a part of the total package of Rs.han Singh's relief package of July 2006. “I was widowed at the age of 25. KISHANGARH (MANSA). Khatriwala. The womenfolk set up makeshift ovens on the road divider and began cooking a rice dish in six large vessels for the agitators around noon. Kheera Singh (20). BKU Ekta (Ugrahan) block president Jugraj Singh said they conducted a survey and found that over ten persons committed suicide in each of the villages of Khadal Kalan. kehri ginti aundi eh. Akola. 8 km from Mandya. who came in two buses on their way to Mysore. Bhola Singh claims over 20 suicides were reported in the past decade from his village alone. they laid siege to Central and State Government offices and ordered their closure. In Dialpura. boycotted classes and took out processions in the main thoroughfares of the town.promised Rs. “Balbir (30). the nerve-centre of the agitation.24. Till date I have not received any pension. Akbarpur Khadial. Later.375 billion meant exclusively for completing the pending irrigation projects in . 11: The number of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region has crossed the three-digit mark in the first 40 days of 2007 with 15 deaths reported during the last three days. pro-Kannada activists staged a semi-naked demonstration on MG Road and also marched 40 goats to highlight the 'failure' of 40 MPs from the State. A relative. the main pro-Kannada forum involved in the agitation. Tourists from Tamil Nadu. But successive governments have turned a blind eye to the problem. Kulwant Singh. Feb.Bangalore : The Cauvery issue took an interesting turn on Thursday with farmers turning the Bangalore-Mysore highway into kitchen by cooking food for agitating farmers near Mandya and blocked the highway. FEBRUARY 11: In one corner of Kishangarh village. lost one son in late ’90s. On the third day of the protest against the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. adding that her family is being pressured to vote for a particular candidate. And in another. While most of the 106 suicides have taken place in the six dry-land farming districts of Yavatmal. if counted from the late ’90s. including six on Saturday. He puts the toll at 40. The promised Rs. They raised slogans against playwright Girish Karnad for supporting the award and burnt his portrait.” says Tej Kaur. After returning home. A representative of the farmers’ body from Dialpura. husband of sarpanch Ranjit Kaur of Kishangarh village and a former sarpanch himself. attributes the suicides to “complications caused by the poor economic condition of people”. In the only serious note to the agitation on Thursday. “Vo bole jail bhi ho sake hai. “Pata nahin. Tej Kaur has a similar story. was our only son.” she says. jameen bhi jaa sake hai (They said it could lead to imprisonment and even auctioning of land). Dialpura and Khadal Kalan villages to commit suicide. Two consumed pesticides and the third hung himself.” says Nachhatar Kaur. “We continue to reel under debt. Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike. is still waiting for pension. The unabated incidence of suicides are significant in the backdrop of the recent revelation by state finance minister Jayant Patil that the central government has disbursed only a fraction — Rs. students of PES College and Government College in Mandya.” Bhagwan Kaur. Bhagwan Kaur. Kishangarh. He had gone to commission agent in Bareta.-294. at sixty.294. he consumed spray (pesticides). Dialpura. In Bangalore. marched with 40 goats with placards carrying names of 40 Lok Sabaha and Rajya Sabha MP's from Karnatata. My pension account was opened. states it to be over Rs 1 lakh. an aged couple sit in mourning. (Pioneer 9/2/07) All that matters here is suicide count (20) DIALPURA. He was sensitive. Buldana. Vidarbha: Farmer suicides cross 100 (20) Nagpur. also joined in cooking and they too were fed. Rangrial and Tahlian in the past decade. but I am yet to receive any money.” she says when asked about the amount they owe. Washim and Wardha in western Vidarbha. of the same village. She attributes the suicides to the debt her family is reeling under. Mounting debts have forced a number of people in Kishangarh. more than a thousand farmers including women blocked the Mysore-Bangalore highway at Haleboodanoor. The government has not helped us. just two days away.8 billion — of the . 15 million hectares of the total 3. FEBRUARY 21: A group of tribals from Orissa’s Koraput district seemed a little out of place at a conference in Delhi.000 farmers committed suicide in different parts of the country in just three years.899 farmers had committed suicide till that date. The study had shown that 70 per cent of small farmers had already lost their landholdings as collateral for loans that they could never repay. At the same time cotton prices came down with the import of Chinese cotton.5 million hectares of cultivable area. It is based on interviews with around 500 cotton farmers from Amravati and Yavatmal districts. Of the affected states. which will be ready in four to five weeks. Suman Sahai. reveal that 6. which was singled out by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a special visit. Currently. there was an abundance of spurious seeds and the technology had been adopted without any preparation of the farmers for the complex management practices that were needed. the area under irrigation is 0. according to government statistics alone. has registered an increase as well from 120 deaths in 2005 to 146 till November last year. while Karnataka's highest of 708 deaths in 2003-04 has been reduced gradually to 44 till November last year. like the Agriculture Commissioner of Amravati. including the cost of the seeds. While local officials." she said. complete only till November 2006. farmers who adopted Bt cotton lost Rs. she said. Sahai said that Bt cotton did better in irrigated areas and that it was a mistake to introduce it in an area like Vidarbha. the state agriculture department continued to promote it. The . registered a tremendous increase in suicides by farmers with the toll rising from 577 in 2005 to 1. Kerala.200 suicides in the last 20 months have occurred.western Vidarbha. 2006. Maharashtra. The figures. which had witnessed 1. They promised farmers that they would get between 12 to 15 quintals per acre when the actual production was in the range of three to five quintals per acre. according to government statistics. It did not perform well in the region because inputs costs were high. in the dry-land farming area in the region 93 per cent of which will not be irrigated even after completion of all the ongoing projects with the support of the Prime Minister's relief fund. …… (Asian Age 18/2/07) Farmers’ role in food security to be recognized (20) NEW DELHI. Andhra Pradesh. (IANS) (Asian Age 12/2/07) Bt cotton has failed in Vidarbha: study (20) MUMBAI: A new study on the introduction of Bt cotton in Vidarbha reveals that it has failed in the region. "The role of the government has been irresponsible and damaging." said Dr. (The Hindu 16/2/07) 6 Farmer suicides per day (20) New Delhi. Despite this. told journalists on Wednesday that despite specific knowledge that Bt cotton would not work in rainfed areas. thereby raising their input costs. They also accepted it because the government was actively promoting the technology. The average is even more frightening: it works out to six farmers killing themselves every day during that period.126 farmer suicides in 2004-05. The study revealed that many farmers adopted Bt cotton because they believed it was a "government seed" and did not know that it was privately produced and marketed. Seed dealers.843. Karnataka. which will cover an additional 0. the high input costs of Bt cotton had increased indebtedness. no mechanism has been put in place to monitor the progress of implementation of the Prime Minister's special package for the farmers of 31 suicide-prone districts across Andhra Pradesh. Dr. The study reveals that on average. encouraged farmers to buy far more fertilizer and pesticide than was needed. were aware of the failure of Bt cotton.. Feb. brought the figure down to 92 last year. consisted of a technology adoption study to look at how Bt cotton was adopted in Vidarbha. "Such economics cannot work. according to the reply furnished by the Union agriculture ministry to a set of questions posed by this newspaper under the Right to Information Act. But their presence is the first indication that India is ready to acknowledge their role in food security. ……. Kerala and Maharashtra. according to figures compiled by the state government till October 31. The result was that in an area with a history of indebtedness. Preliminary data shows that farmers who had adopted Bt cotton had a net lower income than non-Bt cotton farmers.725 per acre. 17: Nearly 7. Almost 98 per cent of more than 1. the government had introduced it in Vidarbha. The Gene Campaign study. Sahai. 1. Director of Gene Campaign.45 million hectares. After registration. the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA). uniformity and stability. 22: Agitating farmers in North Rajsthan.’’ The BJP govenment . demanding more canal water to irrigate their crops. ……. A heavy deployment of police force prevented farmers entering Jaipur to lay an indefinite siege to the pink city.CPI leader Atul Anjan said the BJP government was functioning in dictatorial manner. The Raje government had siege people’s right to raise voice.disturbing traffic on Jaipur-Bikaner high way. we will not hesitate to go any extent to protest against BJP govenment’s repressive polices. Mr Anjan said. began the documentation and registration of varieties of 12 crops from. if his material is used in the development of the variety. It’s the turn of the farmer now to gain from this. The farmers given a call to laid a siege to the pink city of Jaipur if their issue was not resolved. The farmers demanding 58 per cent of water from Indira Gandhi Canal.(Indian Express 22/2/07 Farmers stage massive meet on highway (20) Jaipur. Many of these landraces have rare and economically resistant genes. The farmers claimed that the share of water was fixed when the government signed an agreement with the farmers during the agitation. farmers will get the benefit.000 farmers staged a dharna near the river. the country is starting a system by which they will recognise and register these varieties. set up in November 2005. Mr Karat said the government should talk to the farmers to redress their problem.” said S Nagarajan. improved and selected a variety of both wild and domesticated germplasm while the others moved to modern. Starting on Monday.20 Km from state capital of Jaipur. led by a CPM affiliated union. They were stopped from entering Jaipur by the police. A crowd of Over 8.the CPI leader said. Feb. The farmers body announced to launch a Jail Bharo movement from March 7 through out the state. chairman of the PPV&FRA Authority. But the state government said it was providing the required quantum of water to the farmers.started moving towards Jaipur on February 18 with a Kisan Chetna Rath Yatra. a farmer/farmers’ groups can submit a claim of benefit sharing in the prescribed form and fee to the authority. The farmers and BJP government have been at logger heads for last three years on the issue of canal water. Farmers have conserved. The authority will register varieties of these crops based on distinctiveness.Koraput tribals have been cultivating rice and have stuck to traditional varieties for generations. The police put barricades to stop the marching farmers at Bandi river bridge . Communist Leaders Prakash Karat and Atul Anjan addressed the farmers and criticised the BJP government. The farmers. For the first time. staged a massive meeting on the highway near Jaipur on Thursday. high yielding varieties. Germplasm from their seeds was used by researchers to develop more than 20 popular varieties of popularly-grown rice. “Everyone else has become richer by using these germplasm. such as better adaptability droughts and floods. Talking to media persons. The government said that there was no base of such agitation and farmers were not supporting it. Former CMP MLA Hetram Beniwal and others were under judicial custody for last few months as they refused to get bail. When a trait is used from this germplasm to further develop new varieties. . on Friday. after his open well dried up. Mate had consumed poison inside the office of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) on Friday after company officials disconnected what they described as an "illegal connection" on his field. He was rushed to a hospital here after he consumed an insecticide. too. On February 9. Later in the day. Pandurang Sitaram Raut. his rabi crops of wheat and corn were drying due to lack of water. issuing a warning that the responsibility for the consequences will rest with the officials. convenor of the VJAS. Ramrao Tulshiram Mate (48). a crowd of around 400 people gathered in front of the MSEDCL office. was illegal. he consumed insecticide catching the officials offguard. she also consumed insecticide in an attempt to end her life. A section of the media. Mate. which they said had been drawn illegally. demanding registration of offence against the officials under Section 306 of the IPC. 24: Three more farmers have committed suicide in the last 24 hours in Vidarbha. the VJAS added. (Indian Express 24/2/07) 3 more farmers commit suicide (20) Amravati. however. didn’t budge. attempted to end his life after hearing about the suicide of another whose "illegal" power connection had been snapped. MSEDCL said that Mate had illegally shifted the original 3HP motor connection to the 7. Feb. Ganganagar. however. the officials eventually disconnected the power supply. The farmer.unleasehed repression and they were beaten up by police. An MSEDCL spokesman said. On Friday. “My father had tried to plead with the officials that this was a routine practice in the area and that he wasn’t the only one to do so. Raut's wife Shakuntala was told that her husband had died. Shifting of a power connection . On January 23. Mate came again and Rajput refused to entertain his request. when. MSEDCL Managing Director Ajay Bhushan Pande has suspended Rajput and ordered an independent inquiry by one of the executive directors of the company. was rushed to a hospital here. Another farmer and his wife are in a critical condition in Amravati after both of them attempted suicide separately in their village by consuming poison on Saturday. He had then connected the power supply originally meant for the well pump to the borewell. amounted to power theft. had dug a borewell after taking a loan of Rs 50. He reportedly kept frequenting the Bhandaraj office for the past fortnight. according to MSEDCL. His wife attempted suicide when she was told erroneously that her husband had died. Hanumangarh and Bikaner districts witnessed violent farmers movement in past three years. who had four acres of land at Chinchone village. That.According to Kishore Tiwari. Shakuntala. However. Prafulla claimed his father was asked to cough up Rs 20. Mr Tiwari claimed. These included one each from Akola. Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS). The NGO gave their names as Devidas Umarkar of Akola district. claimed on Saturday. killed himself by consuming insecticide (Monocrotofos) at around 11. farmer ends life outside distcom (20) NAGPUR. consumed poison on Saturday morning after hearing the death of Ramrao Mate on Friday. he had not. Mate's power supply was disconnected on January 23 as he had shifted the supply from an open well in his field to a bore-well without informing the company and was also drawing more load than sanctioned. reported that both Raut and his wife had died. (Asian Age 23/2/07) In Maharashtra. He allegedly took the step after local MSEDCL officials cut off power supply to his borewell.000 bribe to stop the impending disconnection. Rajput. In a fit of rage. The condition of Raut and his wife was stated to be critical as both are on ventilators. He said. a harassed Mate faxed a request against the power cut to Chief Minister and Power Minister. Mate’s relatives and villagers refused to handover the body for a post-mortem till action was initiated against MSEDCL officials. Vasant Khandar of Amravati and Ramrao Ingale of Washim.5 HP borewell motor.” said Mate’s son Prafulla. but to no avail. which as per the New Electricity Act of 2003. in fact. a resident of Hirapur village.000 from Maharashtra Bank in October last year. says CMP MLA Amra Ram. Mate later died at a hospital here.30 am after Junior Engineer Dharmendra Rajput refused to the restore power connection to his borewell. a non-governmental organisation working among farmers in the region. Distressed. FEBRUARY 23: A farmer committed suicide outside the office of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) in Amravati district. the farmer who belongs to Hirapur village in AnjangaonSurji tehsil of this district. Amravati and Washim districts. Later. Committee sources told The Indian Express that the report is likely to be ready only by May. more than rudimentary thinking has to go into the entire exercise. Vikas is creating an air of expectancy and optimism. Vidarbha’s farmers are learning to turn around crisis to opportunity. Anandwan seems within striking distance. A model house is already under construction in the village. why are the able-bodied. So far. holistic approach. “Our attempt will be to divert the people from cotton. and the committee feels that to rekindle their “confidence” in farming. a check-dam is almost ready. the panel headed by Dr R Radhakrishnan. In Punjab. and hence action was initiated. We are taking care of both. whom I call welfareaddicts. In Punjab. his land army is working overtime to create facilities that could turn this godforsaken land of Kolam tribals bordering the Naxalite-infested part of Andhra Pradesh into another Anandwan. the son is walking on his own.” says Vikas. a nursery has been started and a shed has been erected to provide vocational jobs and training for the youth of the area. “While most appear to spread pessimism. We won’t prescribe any particular method of farming like organic or natural farming. (Asian Age 25/2/07) Farming hope in suicide belt (20) MULGAVAN. The Anandwan Brigade has completed works worth Rs 40 lakh within two months. report in May (20) NEW DELHI. This time though.without permission was treated as "theft" as per the provisions in the new law. We will take the farmers in the region to Anandwan to train them in growing different crops in a profitable way. Vikas does not wear shorts but that is where the difference ends. ZARI (YAVATMAL): JOY isn’t a word used frequently in Vidarbha. Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh in Gadchiroli. Vikas was witness to his father’s “land army” of leprosy patients and the physically challenged creating Anandwan but a few months ago. With help from Vikas Amte. wanting to commit suicide?” Which is why Vikas calls his Mulgavan project the Centre for Social Action. ……… (Indian Express 25/2/07) Panel on farmer distress to miss Budget deadline. FEBRUARY 26: Set up at the behest of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his visit to Vidarbha last year in the wake of farmers’ suicides. where the rural indebtedness problem is the most severe. the Director of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research. the committee looking at ways to reduce the problem of rural indebtedness is unlikely to submit its report before the Budget. After Baba left Anandwan to join the Narmada agitation. roads have been laid.” Vikas says proudly. tricycles and other implements are the first products of training. a hospital with ECG and X-ray facilities has been put in place to serve at least 15 nearby villages.” he says. We will make use of government schemes too. It took him two months to set up his makeshift camp on a rocky upland leased to him by the government. “Ours must be the first model where the disabled are training the able-bodied. A few bullock-carts. Now. run-off formations are being levelled. Vikas took over the project. indebtedness is increasingly a social phenomenon — 80 per cent of the indebted households belong to Scheduled Castes and have small. Unlike Baba and younger brother Prakash. Baba Amte’s youngest son. he decided to set up base in the region’s suicide capital . found that farmers’ indebtedness had more to do with their caste than their loans. And their proportion is . We plan to train the farmers here in farm techniques that have worked wonders in Anandwan.” says his father. like the Gharkul (housing) scheme and will build houses for the villagers. watershed development works have been undertaken at vantage points. who have been serving tribals in the catchment area of Maharashtra. eight farm ponds have been built in fields of cotton farmers from the village. the spokesman said. But now.Yavatmal. “We have started working simultaneously on all crucial fronts with a broad-spectrum. income poverty is absent but there’s a different type of poverty. “If the physically-challenged can create this marvel. “States where poverty is negligible. marginal holdings. Farm crisis is compounded by health and unemployment problems. The farmers’ problems in rural India are apparently far more profound and diverse than expected. he explained.” said a committee member. conducted at the request of the Agriculture Ministry in 2002-03.rising. It aims to bring 50 lakh farmers into the banking system. However. foundation and certified seeds. With loan rates high and returns from agriculture lower. "The goal of doubling farm credit in three years was achieved in two years. And it gets worse.25. the lack of land reforms and the strong feudal forces in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are a problem. had found that 40 per cent of farmer households wanted to quit the occupation. you become indebted”." Mr Chidmabaram said. which sanctions and disburses funds to state governments. “There is no state in the country where we can say that agriculture is doing well. direct fertiliser subsidies to farmers and continuance of the agricultural insurance scheme. no farmer would like to stay in agriculture. Mr Chidambaram has fixed a target of Rs 2.90. Thirty-five projects are likely to be completed in 2006-07 and an additional irrigation potential of 900.37 lakh new farmers were brought into the institutional credit system.000 crores. it just needs proper planning. “farmers are paying a higher interest rate and have to make a lot of trips to get loans cleared”. Chidambaram on Wednesday outlined the number of measures to revive the agricultural sector. Moreover. the committee member pointed out. increasing credit flows to the farm sector. Bihar’s agriculture has progressed a little due to remittances from the state’s migrant workers who are now found working as far as Kerala. The measures include stepping up outlay for the accelerated irrigation benefit programme. The two per cent interest subvention scheme for short-term crop loans will continue and a budgetary provision of Rs 1. This year. 53.75. “It’s not that there’s no credit-absorption capacity in the sector.000 hectares will be created. The corpus of Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). The ban on forward trading in wheat and rice may help in reduction of prices. There will be a sharper focus on scaling up the production of breeder. Though the government promised agriculture loans at 7 per cent this year.” the committee has found. the despondence among farmers has got worse. Public as well as large private sector companies will be invited to submit plans to scale up the production of seeds.677 crores has been made available. The state governments will be urged to use these funds primarily in the distressed districts.000 crores set for 2006-07 will be exceeded comfortably and is likely to reach Rs 1. (Asian Age 1/3/07) 4 more farmer suicides in AP (20) . The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) has been revamped in order to complete more irrigation projects in the quickest possible time.” the member said. Feb. Contrary to perceptions. apart from helping farmers. The government has proposed to expand the integrated oilseeds programme. the committee has set up four regional sub-committees. In order to deal with farmer suicides. The target of Rs 1.000 crores towards institutional credit flows for the farmers. “Interest rates for homes and cars are much lower than farm loans. though there is some ‘u-turn’ recently. are still high and credit supply from the formal sector has dipped in the last three years. An NSSO survey. Mr Chidambaram referred to the Prime Minister’s special package being implemented in the 31 distressed districts in four states. “once you take a loan. until December 2006. but there are no institutions for service delivery. (Indian Express 27/2/07) 50 lakh farmers to get loans (20) New Delhi.000 crores. such as local moneylenders. The intentions are good when loans to the sector are doubled.” a member of the committee revealed. But in our interactions. With the causes and levels of indebtedness varying across the country. will be raised to Rs 12. The committee also found that borrowings from the informal sector. Even banks and micro-finance institutions charge 18-24 per cent interest on farm loans. 28: Finance minister P. we found that given a choice. is suspected to have committed suicide. The cost of growing of crop had gone up manifold but the compensation in case of a calamity remained meagre. M Venkateswarlu. (The Hindu 13/3/07) Police fire in air near Bharatpur (20) . whose charred body was found in the Singur area when the agitation against the automobile project was on last year. but was unable to pay back. The Minister added the rehabilitation manual was also changed some months back following a strong representation by several States. The State Congress leadership has demanded an inquiry into the incident by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Officials said P Suri Babu. (Indian Express 9/3/07) Pawar faces Elders' wrath over suicide by farmers (20) New Delhi : Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar faced wrath in the Rajya Sabha on Friday on the issue of farmers committing suicide and the Elders cutting across party lines sought to know concrete measures taken by the Government to address the serious problem. Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena) said the Prime Minister's package had not made any difference to the poor farmers and the officials were not releasing funds thereby forcing the hapless farmers to commit suicide.530 crore or 40 per cent of the Rs 3. he said adding this added to the problems of the agriculturists." It is believed that he had died after consuming poison at his residence in the Berabari area of Singur.HYDERABAD. The police investigating the incident have described the death of 78-year-old Haradhan Bag as "unnatural. One farmer allegedly killed himself after officials refused to release money to him for the house he had started constructing under the government’s Indiramma scheme. The amount released included Rs 784 crore for waiver of interest on loans taken by farmers and about Rs 700 crore for irrigation projects. Raising the matter during the question hour. he said. for more than 45 minutes of the question hour the farmers' suicide issue was taken up. a sugarcane farmer. MARCH 8: Four more farmers have committed suicide in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh after failing to repay debts. They also said the stranglehold of the private moneylender remained intact and this prompted Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to ask the Minister to ensure that the States implemented the Money Lenders Act. …… Pioneer 10/3/07) Farmer's death at Singur `unnatural' (20) Kolkata: A farmer who. citing lack of resources. committed suicide as he could not sell his crop. said Raj Kanojia. In fact. He too had failed to sell his crop. The fourth was C Narsimhulu. The Trinamool Congress-led Krishi Jami Raksha (Save Farmland) Committee has been opposing the setting up of the automobile project on agricultural land. The death had led to a storm of protests by the Opposition parties with the Trinamool Congress leadership claiming that she had been murdered by those trying to stifle dissent against the project. Even as Pawar tried to convince the House that the Centre was making all efforts to prevent the farmers from taking the extreme step. it is being claimed by those opposed to the setting up of the Tata Motors' car manufacturing plant at Singur in West Bengal's Hooghly district. Sources in the committee claimed that Haradhan Bag was its supporter. He had taken a loan of Rs 2 lakh. A local sugar factory had allegedly refused to buy the crop. members charged that suicides were unabated even after the Prime Minister announced a financial package for the distressed farmers in six districts of Maharashtra. was one of their supporters. Another farmer. Local Trinamool Congress MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharjee said that the farmer had taken his life out of despair following the forcible acquisition of a plot of his land by the administration for the project. The CBI is already inquiring into the death of a teenage girl Tapashi Mallick. Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy said that Haradhan Bag might have been driven to suicide after the Government signed the land lease agreement for the project with the Tata Motors' management on March 9. Pawar's party colleague Datta Meghe also drew his attention to the sorry plight of the farmers in the Vidarbha region. also committed suicide on Wednesday by consuming pesticide. Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Congress) said the rehabilitation manual for providing relief to the farmers after destruction of their crops had remained unchanged since 1970. Preliminary reports reveal that the death could be the fall-out of family anxieties. The Minister in his reply said the Centre in the last six months released Rs 1. The body was sent for post-mortem examination.873 crore package announced by the Prime Minister for relief to farmers in six districts of the Vidarbha region. Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order). Jalore. which has been reeling under a severe agrarian crisis. Sawai Madhopur. March 15: Former Prime Minister V. who toured Amber tehsil of Jaipur district to assess the damage caused to farmers. (The Indian Exp 14/3/07) 'Save farmers. will be run with the help of social service committees of CBCI . He demanded free treatment and a relief of Rs. got on to the streets to press their demand for compensation. Dausa. not the Doha Round' (20) New Delhi. Shukla. said Manavalan.JAIPUR: Police fired in the air to disperse farmers blocking the national highway between Jaipur and Agra at Dehra Mod near Bharatpur town in Rajasthan on Tuesday. Kalla. Barmer. Hanumangarh. Ooncha Nagla. Sirohi. As part of the programme.” said D Manavalan. A self-help group of women. a social wing of CBCI and Action For Food Programme (AFPRO) in the counselling in six affected districts of Vidarbha. Karauli. Kalla demanded waiving of farm loans up to Rs. Those who sustained injuries in the reported stone-throwing by farmers included R. said 10 farmers sustained injuries in police action in Bharatpur district. The farmers picketed the road at Chiksana. Jaipur. the counsellors will initiate confidence building measures and adopt traditional methods such as street plays. A meeting of representatives of Caritas. who urged the government to shed its "Save Doha Round" bias in favour of "save small and marginal farmers. Counselling centres are being set up at all the places for affected persons and families. AFPRO. he said. talking to journalists after a tour of the affected areas here in the evening. Phid Fani. he said. The SHG will not be restricted to women but also include farmers.P. awareness about eco-friendly methods of farming. a secular socio-technical development organisation. Bikaner. adding that the possibilities of exploitation of widows with both reported and non-reported cases will be dealt with. the acting Collector of Bharatpur. which has decided to engage NGOs like Caritas.D.P. Bundi.000 to the injured persons. particularly widows of deceased farmers. said a 60-year-old farmer had died in Amber tehsil out of shock at the damage to his standing crops and another was admitted to the Sawai Man Singh Hospital here. Sikar. Singh. victims of freak weather conditions which brought rain and hailstorm. The Government should order a "girdawari" (assessment of damages) in the affected areas and provide compensation to farmers. Pradesh Congress Committee president B. “The unabated suicide of farmers in the region was discussed by CBCI. Pali.Tripathi. songs. Jhunjhunu. play and display of posters. writer Arundhati Roy and Mr Prashant Bhushan are among the 50 eminent personalities.” Abraham said. Kalla. Sriganganagar. Mr. a retired IAS officer. March 13 : Roman Catholic churches under the patronage of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and NGOs have come forward to help distressed farmers of the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra. The farmers would be provided with psycho-social counselling. “We will assess the needs of farmers and help them in sustainable farming and organic farming to come out of the crisis. And the save Doha seminar was part of . social activist Vandana Shiva. Bharatpur— were so far affected by hailstorm. Executive Director of AFPRO. who narrated heart-rending scenes he came across while visiting the affected villages. (The Hindu 14/3/07) Church to aid of Vidarbha farmers (20) Nagpur. The highway was blocked at different points during the day as the farmers. CBCI western region president Archbishop Abraham Viruthkulangara said.50. Nagaur. smallscale watershed development programme and income generation programmes and networking with government agencies to ensure resources reach the right person on time. said 20 districts of Rajasthan— Ajmer. Dholpur. he said. Mr. which is the most affected district. Mr. and to those who are in distress. Kalla. Alwar. besides adequate compensation to the affected. Superintendent of Police Anand Srivastava said the police fired four rounds in the air to disperse farmers at Dehra Mod police chowki and cleared the roadblocks. "Now the Indian government is being used by the US and the EU to bulldoze opposition to the Doha process and clear the ground for its resumption and early conclusion. besides talking to the family members of those farmers who have committed suicide.K.000 and conversion of short-term loans into longterm loans.10. and Darapur and at Chokerwada. It will hold its next meeting on April 18 at Yavatmal. The programme includes monitoring of the financial help reaching the affected families." The leaders pointed out that the Centre has been organising a seminar on saving Doha and delivering development. Churu. former Indian ambassador to Gatt S. CBCI social service committees and representatives from Archdiocese of Amravati and Chandrapur was held in city. the Congress MLAs staged a walkout alleging that the package was too little. (Pioneer 21/3/07) Rajasthan: Chaos in House over relief for farmers (20) Jaipur. The grants provided under these schemes have not taken care of their existing loans. corn and wine imports and in reduction of duties on industrial products. In this way. the farmer benefited by selling it at higher prices in the open market and afterwards for the benefit of consumers. While the ruling BJP announced a relief package of Rs 170 crore. "Today. "The confusion between the Agriculture Ministry and the Planning Commission is yet to be cleared. Under the provisions of the Act. rocked the Rajasthan Assembly once again on Friday. The committee blamed the Government's low MSP for the procurement fiasco last year. During zero hour. says House panel (20) New Delhi : A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture has said that schemes announced by the Government for rehabilitation of farmers and to streamline their loans have not brought any relief to them.this bulldozing. the committee headed by Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav asked the Government to abolish the Public Debt Recovery Acts. transport and other expenditure from a farmer detainee in a country where even hardened criminals have free food and shelter in jail. "The committee are not in agreement with the logic given by the department that when MSP was Rs 650 for wheat. The US-India Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture. the other Congress MLAs joined him and raised slogans against the Raje government. The government also waved off electricity bills for four months and promised to provide 100 kilogram of wheat to the affected families. is part of the Indian government response. March 23: The issue of relief package for farmers. (Asian Age 16/3/07) Farmers' rehab scheme a failure. "The package announced by Prime Minister for Vidarbha region in Maharashtra not reaching the farmer. The bias of the save Doha seminar in terms of who have sponsored it. generating super profits for agribusiness." it said. who are invited and what will be discussed." the eminent persons said. banks invoke this legal provision to secure arrest warrants for the defaulters. the Opposition MLAs created a ruckus in the Assembly demanding that the state government announce a relief package for farmers. The ruling party at the Centre recently lost elections in two states and it has been admitted at the highest levels of the party that increase in prices. affected by the recent hailstorms." the report said. It was also unhappy that the Government was dilly-dallying implementation of the scheme." they added. Soon after." The US has been pressing that India should play a role and Indian government is only too willing to oblige.000 farmers committing suicide in the last five years. Trade liberalisation translates into falling prices for farmers and rising prices for consumers." Agriculture Standing Committee in its twenty-third report said. following which Speaker Sumitra Singh ."The committee recommend that at initial stage the MSP should be attractive enough for the farmers so that they sell their produce directly to the Government agencies. the stock of the Government godown would be sufficient and Government would not have to import foodgrains at a later stage which results in imbalancing the market prices and loss of foreign currency to the exchequer. which the farmers are not able to repay in the case of failure of their crop while the interest on the principal is piling up." the committee report said. as part of the package. The committee also expressed dismayed to note that the recommended scheme for enhancing sustainability of dryland farming has not been implemented yet. "The scheme should continue during Eleventh Plan Period." the committee asked. "It is rushing ahead to provide market access to the United State in wheat. They said. Sayvam Lodha of Congress said the government should stick to its promise of announcing it on Friday. "Government's pricing policy for agricultural commodities should safeguard the interest of farmers at initial stage itself while announcing MSP rather than giving bonus at a later stage when farmers have sold most of their crops to private market. although a bilateral agreement. Taking note of at least 12. with the increasing polarisation of prices. which provides for imprisonment of farmers who default in repayment of loans. and it is a glaring example of the inefficiency of the Government in ameliorating the conditions of the farmers. after exhausting all other avenues for recovery of loans. the Government had to import it.of food and essential commodities was a major factor contributing to the electoral defeat. "How any law stipulates for recovery of food. As a result. the fate of this important scheme is in doldrums. the food prices are going through the ceiling in India. 000 per hectare.” recalled Kevin Smith. wheat and gram. Unofficial estimates say the numbers may be at least twice as many and many suicides are still being officially looked into. at least one farmer has been killing himself every third day in Kerala after the V S Achuthanandan government came to power. while those who have used diesel will receive Rs 6. Hatgaon has become the first village to own a minor irrigation project — which it partly built and is now operating and maintaining on its own. village reaps a rich harvest (20) PIMPRI-HATGAON (YAVATMAL). we had nothing to do after the kharif crop. added that over 800 farmers had committed suicide during the last Congress-led UDF government. 94 of the 110 families in Hatgaon are reaping rich dividends. “Earlier. But that may soon be history. partially funded by KfW. “Progress was initially slow as the Participatory Irrigation and Development Process was a new concept . We had never grown soyabean. This year. Since last year. besides Kozhikode. Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran. but they no longer have to depend on a single cotton crop as they are able to produce as many as three crops annually.” she stated.000 per hectare of non-irrigated land. Some 101 of them have already hanged. but failed. the lead bank in the district. began about three years ago. the farmers expected the government to pay for everything. we are busy even at this time of the year. But even that is a fall from the 182 per cent a couple of years earlier. The neighbouring village of Dhotra also secured ownership of its irrigation dam. he got a bumper 12 quintals. price crashes. which has now been increased to Rs 3. The gross agricultural production of the village has gone up roughly by Rs 5 lakh per annum. his returns added up to Rs 30. ginger and coffee. burned or poisoned themselves to death since May 2006. The overall credit-deposit ratio in Wayanad is now 171 per cent. of which Rs 70 crore will be provided by the CRF as per its norms. In fact. which had caused over 125 bank branches to come up in this sparsely populated hill district.000. per hectare. the German development bank. So. a farmer in the area. cardamom. He also sowed soyabean and got six quintals of gram. Bapurao Meshram’s three acres of land yielded just one quintal of cotton last year. Maharashtra Water Resources Department’s Local Irrigation Sector provides the technical assistance while a local NGO — in this case Wardha-based Dharamitra — is roped in for motivation and administrative guidance. Last year. compared to the statewide average of a little over 50 per cent.000. once internationally famous for its pepper. “In the interim relief. Moreover. The Rs 2-crore project. while the villagers have to fund the rest — either by way of cash or labour. officials of Canara Bank. But acceptance took time. Similarly. (Indian Express 24/3/07) In dry Vidarbha. Not only have their yields increased. I also have a second crop of wheat and a third crop of hot-weather gram. the German bank had tried to peg the project in Bihar and Rajasthan. so most of us would work as labourers in neighbouring villages. Hatgaon village and the surrounding areas located in the cotton bowl of Vidarbha have been in the news for farmers’ suicides. Palakkad and elsewhere in smaller numbers. (Indian Express 26/3/07) 101 farmer suicides in Kerala since May ’06 (20) KALPETTA. The project was formally handed over to Hatgaon at a function in Wardha on Saturday. I had 12 quintals of cotton. This year. Idukki. Droughts.000. however. While he invested Rs 12. Presenting the statistics at the state Assembly today. bad crops and debt traps have hit Wayanad’s once-booming local economy.adjourned the House.000. After the proceedings resumed. For those farmers who have used power for irrigation will receive Rs 4. “The farmers’ incomes have increased by three-five times in the first season.” he added.” says Husen Raut. although the last cotton picking is usually done in January. Now. Initially. A bulk of these have been taking place in Wayanad. MARCH 25: In the past. built on a local nullah. The project is being managed by the village’s Water Users’ Association (WUA). with over 1 million cubic metres of water. CM Vasundhara Raje announced a Rs 170-crore-package. Raut still has about two quintals of cotton left in his field. Under the Participatory Irrigation and Development Process — restricted to 100-250 hectare irrigation area — KfW provides one-third of the project cost. and they have been able to recover their investments in a single year. The drought-ridden village now has a dam. MARCH 26: On an average. the banks in Wayanad disbursed . the project’s India consultant. we had promised to provide the farmers Rs 1. “I used to get only three-four quintal of cotton till last year.” says Maroti Thakre. told The Indian Express. Basavaraj Thatti. With the state government under pressure. Mr. Five of them have been shifted to the Government General Hospital in Gulbarga. 200 crore as compensation for the damage caused to their crops due to hailstorms and heavy rainfall this past February and March.” a local bank manager said. even if they may not be able to repay soon with no alternate source of income. (Indian Express 27/3/07) Rs. He had also promised that the factory would purchase the sugarcane in time. even pepper (Wayanad accounted for the largest share of the country’s production) was down to less than one-fourth of its price in 2000. They were arrested and released later. Immediately after the nine farmers were taken to hospital. Amir Chand Makkar. admit banking sources. The existing laws just won’t do to contain them. Things did not look up since. Wayanad began going under prolonged spells of seasonal droughts. The desperate move came after a three-month agitation by farmers whose sugarcane had not been purchased by Renuka Sugar Factory as promised. “We are now going to amend the moneylending regulations drastically to control them. resulting in the farmers going under far higher debts than the original loans involved. It is now also working on waiving the interest on overdue farm loans under a government scheme. which are spearheading the agitation. He had not been released till late in the evening. private money lenders. Hooda asserted that "unemployment cannot be tackled without SEZs".loans worth Rs 756 crore. Till the late 1990s. He appealed to the farmers. Hooda said the Congress was committed to completing the remaining portion of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal in Punjab territory and the issue was under consideration of the Supreme Court that is likely to deliver the verdict soon. But a group of farmers suddenly brought out pesticide bottles and gulped down the contents before the police could prevent them from doing so. detained the cane development officer of the factory. (THE HINDU 8/4/07) Nine sugarcane farmers attempt suicide in Jewargi (20) JEWARGI (GULBARGA DISTRICT): Nine sugarcane farmers attempted suicide by drinking poison here on Wednesday. who command a great clout in Wayanad. the district was a prosperous agricultural belt. besides getting commercial banks to waive a part of the loans of farmers who killed themselves—the state government chipping in to make up the remaining where large amounts are involved. of full cooperation in carrying out development activities in the region. The farmers' grouse against the officer was that it was he who had persuaded them to cultivate sugarcane. artisans and petty shopkeepers in the State to avail of the opportunity offered by the Government for waiving off interest on cooperative loans. have called for a `Jewargi bandh' on Thursday in protest against what they termed the adamant attitude of the sugar factory. Referring to the criticism of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) being made by some leaders having "vested interest". the others blocked the Gulbarga-Jewargi National Highway for more than two hours. did great business too. When repayment appeared to be flagging. after setting the motorcycle ablaze. crop prices began sliding uncontrollably. He assured the local MLA. 200 crore compensation for Haryana farmers (20) CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday announced that farmers in the State would be given Rs. Mr. The Jewargi Raitha Horata Samiti and the Jewargi Taluk Sugarcane Growers' Association. A two-wheeler belonging to the cane development officer of the factory was set ablaze by the protesters. was tense since the morning. in front of the tahsildar's office in the town. moneylenders stepped in. The Government had deputed Assistant Commissioner Nagappa Sirasagi and senior police officials to talk to the sugarcane growers and persuade them not to go ahead with their threat to commit suicide. Another group of farmers. The venue of the farmers' dharna and relay hunger strike. Yet. “They need to keep borrowing to survive. most of them being agricultural loans. and viral and fungi blights also affected the crops. By around 2004. Sensing the opportunity. the State Level Bankers’ Committee first put off revenue recovery for six months and agreed to offer more repayment time for short term loans. By 2000. The nine farmers are said to be out of danger. Addressing a public meeting at Hansi. A good many of the suicides have been blamed on the latter. (THE HINDU 12/4/07) .” said state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. many banks transformed the interest and principal into fresh farm loans. 000. And the cooperative banks have done this to the tune of Rs. banks have been directed to . but had not been able to repay the loan due to crop failure. Rs. the commercial banks and urban cooperative banks have rescheduled farmers' loans totalling Rs.96 crore on cooperative activities.05 crore.387. 85 lakh on fisheries. According to the package announced by the Union Government for the farmers of the distressed districts. Rs.05-lakh hectares. The State Government released Rs. 2 daughters end life (20) BHUBANESWAR: Abject poverty and failure to repay loan taken for cotton cultivation forced a farmer and two of his daughters to commit suicide in Bolangir district of Orissa. The three consumed pesticide in their field on the outskirts of Malikamunda village under Patnagarh block of Bolangir on Thursday.68.323.6-crore metric tonnes of food grain. taking the total interest waived for farmers of the State to Rs.58 crore. Rs. 8.61 crore will be given to Agriculture Universities in Bikaner and Udaipur. According to the official release. judging by the data relating to loan write-off.26-crore hectares. Rs. cotton over 5-lakh hectares and sugarcane over 5. In the three distressed districts. Rs. As part of the agricultural services.000.22 crore will be spent on farm production.49 crore.31 crore on agriculture and related services during the 2007-08 Annual Plan to produce 1. He had availed of the loan from a cooperative society for cotton cultivation last year.218. 3. An official release stated here on Tuesday that while food grains would be sown in an area measuring 1. 2 crore. the State Government has set the target for disbursement of loans worth Rs.670 crore to farmers through cooperative societies during the year. maintenance of trees and land and water conservation. As on March 26 this year. the total farmers' debt rescheduled for repayment in the State is of the order of Rs. Palakkad and Kasaragod.65 crore has been made for the scheme during 2007-08.70 crore on storage of farm produce and Rs. and one of his daughters died while being taken to the hospital on Thursday. Two such incidents were reported from Bolangir and Rayagada districts earlier. the second daughter breathed her last on Friday. 47 lakh on water conservation. 50. 54. oilseeds would be sown over 46.117. 17. It was the third incident of suicide by cotton farmers in the State in less than a year. 25.44 crore till March 26. The farmer had a loan burden of Rs.Rajasthan to spend over 200 crore on agriculture (20) JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government has set the target of spending Rs. it was said that deteriorating financial condition of the family had forced them to take the extreme step. A provision of Rs. interest waiver and loan reschedule presented at the State Level Bankers' Meeting (SLBC) here on Tuesday.100. the burden of the waiver of overdue interest has to be shared equally by the State and the Union Government. 18 districts have been included in the State Forestry and Biodiversity Scheme funded by the Japan Bank. While the farmer Akrura Sahu. and Rs. With the cooperative banks rescheduling loans amounting to Rs. (The Hindu 28/4/07) Farmers need not submit `no due' certificate (20) NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India has waived the condition for farmers to submit a `no due' certificate for obtaining bank loans up to Rs. commercial banks and urban cooperative banks have waived interest amounting to Rs.648 crore in March itself to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to make good the interest waived by the cooperatives. It also released Rs.72 crore on loans taken by farmers of the distressed districts of Wayanad. The works under the scheme will include those of plantation.710.000 hectares.000-hectare area during the Plan period. (The Hindu 18/4/07) Debt-ridden farmers get a helping hand (20) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The banks and the Government are earnestly attempting to take relief to the crisis-ridden farm sector in the State. Besides.30 crore. 48. 88. The Annual Plan allocation for the National Horticulture Mission amounts to Rs.50 crore to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in March this year towards partial repayment of the interest waived by commercial banks.35 crore on animal husbandry. 202. Although the exact reason behind the suicides was not known immediately. Over 15-lakh fruit bearing trees will be distributed and saplings planted in a 5. (The Hindu 25/4/07) Cotton farmer. Instead. 8. Reports indicated that the farmer was under severe mental stress as he was worried about his failure to repay the loan and marriage of both the daughters. 2. including panchayati raj institutions. BKS general secretary Maganbhai Patel said. banks have been directed to provide such small loans to farmers on the basis of a self-declaration. "In Saurashtra.5 per cent for potatoes. the entire green belt from Mahuva to Veraval faces the prospect of destruction if an SEZ comes up in that area. Announcing this in a notification. The BKS has registered a case of suicide and has demanded state compensation. A fortnight ago. sharecroppers and oral lessees against certificates of identity and status issued by the local administration." State BKS leaders said they had received complaints from Jamnagar farmers who had been lured into selling their land to a top business house. the input cost of diesel has gone up by 390 per cent. ranging from nil for edible oils and sugarcane to three per cent for cotton." they added." Patel and Senjalia were addressing mediapersons at the completion of the BKS representatives' meet where they were re-elected to their posts for another three years. including panchayati raj institutions. Had this been so. Talking with mediapersons on Monday. "The situation is not very different in other parts of the state. 12. "The police stations do not register farmers' suicide deaths. Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) said on Monday that the recent official declaration of 148 suicide deaths among farmers is "only a tip of the iceberg". 20 per cent for pulses and 26 per cent for wheat.000 crore.'' The RBI also asked the commercial banks to provide loans for crop cultivation to landless labourers. Announcing this in a notification.000." pointed out (Times of India 8/5/07) Farmers protest against SEZ (20) MUMBAI: A month after Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh stayed land acquisition for the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance SEZ project in the Pen-Panvel-Uran belt in coastal Raigad district. On the other hand. We want a complete change in the SEZ laws. a farmer from Khambha village in Amreli district committed suicide after failing to repay a debt of Rs 7 lakh. All SEZs should be built by the government.provide such small loans to farmers on the basis of a self-declaration. we would have been richer than the government is today. Under no circumstances should farmers' land be taken away for SEZs. (The Hindu 2/5/07) Farmers need not submit `no due' certificate (20) NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India has waived the condition for farmers to submit a `no due' certificate for obtaining bank loans up to Rs. Instead. 13 per cent for paddy. the RBI said the present procedure to produce the NDC from various banks or cooperative financial institutions operating in the area to get loans from any of the commercial banks ``entails considerable amount of time and money. now farmers in Alibag tehsil in the same region led by former chief of naval staff admiral L Ramdas . 50. another farmer from Halwad in Surendranagar district had committed suicide. the RBI said the present procedure to produce the NDC from various banks or cooperative financial institutions operating in the area to get loans from any of the commercial banks ``entails considerable amount of time and money. and that of power by 120 per cent. (The Hindu 2/5/07) 'State govt ignoring farmer suicides' (20) GANDHINAGAR: The Sangh Parivar farmers' wing. An analytical comparison drawn up by the BKS suggested that the price for agricultural commodities has increased very marginally over the last decade. Disputing state agriculture minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma's claim that the outgoing fiscal year's agricultural production has been a stupendous Rs 32. These suicides are brushed aside as resulting from domestic problems. BKS president Prafull Senjalia said. "We do not want private developers to build SEZs." he added." Patel said. "These are all fudged figures. sharecroppers and oral lessees against certificates of identity and status issued by the local administration." "Only eight days ago. "A sharp rise in the input cost and the inability to get good prices have forced farmers to borrow. even if they are priced higher than the market price. All-India BKS organising secretary S K Kulkarni declared that the body will launch a massive agitation against the special economic zones (SEZs) being built all over the country.'' The RBI also asked the commercial banks to provide loans for crop cultivation to landless labourers. But the problems arise because of the farmers' poor plight in rural Gujarat. including 33 in Gujarat. Amravati. Significantly. A few days ago. (Times of India 9/5/07) Suicide by farmer in western UP (20) BHILAVALI (Agra): Kedar Singh wasn't a marginal cotton cultivator in the killing fields of Vidarbha. 26 in Bhinder Kalan. Deshmukh had convened a special meeting to consider the proposal of India Bulls infrastructure development corporation for setting up a multi-product SEZ in Alibag tehsil. they had to face the wrath of the local farmers for the unilateral decision of the Congress-led Democratic Front government to acquire the land for the India Bulls SEZ. agricultural land owned by Schedule Castes cannot be sold to a non-SC without obtaining permission from the district administration.263 farmers have committed suicide in seven states. As per official statistics. had in a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh recently. Bountiful western UP appeared to have bucked the trend. located about 25 km from the Taj Mahal town. followed by 64 in Mari Mustaffa village. Threatened by the moneylender. Meanwhile. The maximum number of suicides (70) has taken place in Kishanpura village.000 acres of land in 22 villages and hand over the same to India Bulls. According to figures cited by Deshmukh to the prime minister. The land proposed to be acquired includes a plot allotted to Ramdas. .. as per official records. (The Hindu 12/5/07) 2 more farmers end lives in Akola (20) AKOLA: There seems no respite to the suicides of farmers in Vidarbha. But like many of them. "It will have an adverse impact on 50. Kedar's relatives say that the cultivator was conned by a fellow upper caste villager. The ration card says he was 40 years old though his relatives insist he was only 26. 8. "We will not part with our land. Wardha. Patil has obtained all the relevant information on the SEZ by invoking provisions of the RTI Act. Buldhana. the government issued an extraordinary notification empowering the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to acquire nearly 5. Deshmukh. Villagers say the buyer. when a MPCC delegation led by former MP Sanjay Nirupam visited a section of villages. MIDC chief executive officer Rajiv Jalota made it clear that under no circumstances would there be forcible acquisition of land. 2006. (Times of India 9/5/07) Farmers' suicides in Punjab (20) MOGA: A survey conducted by the Administration has found that 498 farmers have committed ``suicide'' in Moga district of Punjab since 1990. even though the notification for acquisition of land was promulgated on October 27. According to official estimates. On October 27. the Dalit western Uttar Pradesh farmer ended his life last week. it is possible to believe them. president of the ‘Gao bachao Sangharsha Samiti’. 575 farmers had committed suicide due to agrarian crisis in the six worst-affected districts of Vidarbha in 2006 with the first three months accounting for 168 deaths. officials said here on Friday quoting the survey. a Brahmin of the adjoining Chhoti Bhilavali hamlet. despite Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh claiming a drop in farmers suicide case. 27 in Machhike village. 30 in Himatpura village. 2006. On September 21." said Amit Patil. Angry farmers have strongly opposed the proposal saying the land proposed to be acquired is highly fertile. we don’t need an SEZ for the development of Alibag." Ramdas said. 2006. He promised to pay Kedar in a few days but never did. And looking at Kedar's photograph on the ration card. he was debt-ridden." says wife Rajan Devi. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has directed all Deputy Commissioners in the State to collect data on farmers who have committed ``suicide'' during 2002-2007 along with the details of loans taken from any bank. who had bought his entire land — 1.have demanded immediate withdrawal of the notification for allotment of land to the India Bulls SEZ project.75 bighas. distressed by crop failure and swindled by the man to whom he had sold off his land. Under provision 157A of the 1950 Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act in UP. Washim and Yavatmal during the first three months of this . They found him hanging by a hook the morning after. But after a visit to Kedar's house. the Raigad collector has not yet initiated any steps for the purpose. 40 farmers have committed suicide in the six districts of Akola. 23 in Kussa village and 22 in Rauke village. to be precise. said the number of farmers' suicides have reduced sharply from 61 in March last year to 16 for the same month this year. Ramdas said it was a new strategy to grab land.000 farmers of Alibag. had sidestepped the rule through a benami transaction involving another SC villager. "He ate just one roti and went off to sleep on the neighbour's roof. one gathers that perhaps both grinding poverty and oppressive social structures combined to kill the Jatav farmer on May 2. a debt-ridden marginal farmer Sahdeo Sukhdev Chakre (40) of village Mazlapur Dapura near Akola committed suicide by consuming poison on Saturday. Since January this year. Since May 1 there have been four more cases. drought-prone Bidar district in 1998 and 2002. the suicides seem to be a result of excess production of sugarcane leading to a steep drop in the prices for sugarcane from Rs 1. family sources said. senior police official Kalyan Mukherjee confirmed. According to police sources. two more farmers allegedly committed suicide in Akola district since Saturday. In sharp contrast to the CM's claim. The three major cooperative factories in the region for instance are under the control of Congress politicians—the Naranja Cooperative Sugar Factory under Aurad Congress MLA Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli. The state Government has also promised the factories concessions on the lines provided in Maharashtra. even if it takes a while. there are also allegations of policies of the sugar factories and cruel local politics involving the factories. however. We are still finalising a report on the latest deaths. This is a name-wise list. a farmers’ party. here allegedly ended life by hanging himself in his house on Sunday. the suicide rates have increased. 40. The family members of Prasanta Das allege that he took the extreme step on Thursday night as he had been depressed since his land was acquired for the small car project.25 lakh hectares. (Indian Express 18/5/07) Another farmer commits suicide in Singur (20) Kolkata : In the second such suicide since March. Despite the Karnataka Government’s assurances to farmers that all standing crop will also be processed at the three major cooperative sugar factories in the district. has already notched a high in sugar production. “Our findings indicate that out of the 29 suicides for which causes have been ascertained. The area covered by sugarcane in 2006-07 in the state rose to 3. he cannot afford anything the next year. a sharp decline in demand for sugar and cooperative factories reneging on agreements with member farmers. When a small farmer does not get his expected return on the investment. was a member of the anti-land acquisition Singur Krishijami Raksha Committee. puts the figure at 44 for this year alone. “Till April 30. ……….year. a farmer hanged himself in Singur. If not harvested in time sugarcane loses its value. His body was found in the wee hours on Friday.. He hanged himself from a ceiling. While macro economic factors are largely behind the suicides. local authorities in Bidar have recorded 33 sugarcane farmer deaths while the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS). the area in West Bengal that has been witnessing unrest over land acquisition for a Tata Motors project. The dead . Pachpohe owned two acres of dryland and non-payment of loan and constant crop failure drove him to extreme step.000 loan from a bank and another Rs 60. 23 deaths are related to the sugarcane crop crisis in the district. a bumper sugarcane crop for 2006-07 is now at the root of a spate of suicides in the district over the past three weeks. The suicides have peaked with the approaching end to the sugarcane processing period at sugar factories—on May 31— even as an unofficially estimated five lakh ton of sugarcane crop is still standing on the nearly 76 lakh acres cropped in Bidar district. On the surface. Another marginal farmer Ramdas Pachpohe (52) of Ramtekpura in Akot tehsil.000 loan from a money-lender. nearly 40 kms from.” says KRRS secretary Veerabhushan Nandgave.59 lakh hectares or last year’s 3.” Deputy Commissioner Munish Moutgil said. and the Bidar Cooperative Sugar Factory under his son Ishwar Khandre. The accentuating factors are many. He had only five acres of dryland and took Rs 18. This is leading to the crisis. Das. including a waiver of purchase tax. the Mahatma Gandhi Cooperative Sugar Factory under former Congress MLA Bheemanna Khandre.750 per ton last year to around Rs 800 this year.” the DC said.98 lakh hectares against a targeted 2. The suicides have come even after the H D Kumaraswamy-led Government intervened in April and announced an additional cover of Rs 100 to farmers on every ton of sugarcane. accounting for 21 lakh metric ton and is expecting to touch 26 lakh metric ton against last year’s high of 17 lakh metric ton by the end of season. small farmers who invested heavily on the cash crop through borrowings from banks and moneylenders are not seeing light at the end of tunnel. in an effort to get them to process the farmer’s produce. like other major sugarcane producing states. Mukherjee. Karnataka. “With the end to the sugarcane crushing season fast approaching. (Times of India 15/5/07) Sugarcane piles driving Bidar farmers to suicide (20) Bangalore. we had verified 29 farmer suicide cases in Bidar. refused to comment on the reason behind the death. May 17: If crop failure had led to farmer suicides in north Karnataka’s semi-arid. and do not encourage corporate farming. contract farming and agro-processing while encouraging various models of contract farming. Gopal Dani of Baradkinhi in Chandrapur. the leader of the committee said. He had refused to accept money as compensation for the Tata project and was an active member of the movement. No casualty was. "He was depressed. Ambedare died in Bhandara civil hospital on Monday after he was rushed there in a serious condition as he consumed poison. wife. a daughter — and unpaid loans worth over Rs 50. five more farmers committed suicide in Vidarbha. "In the event of violation of contract farming agreement. With these deaths reported in the last 24 hours. about 40 km from Kolkata in Hooghly district. The group also called for a dispute resolution mechanism. Bhangaberia and Baharganj. chief ministers and top level officials were busy discussing the crisis in agriculture sector in New Delhi on Tuesday at a meeting presided over by the prime minister. a farmer Haradhan Bag had committed suicide in Singur. Samiti convenor Kishore Tiwari has alleged that claims made by the chief minister in his presentation before prime minister Manmohan Singh that farmers'suicides in Vidarbha had declined." police said adding 30-40 rounds were also fired from both sides. a Farmland activist. Experience with . The five who ended their lives were identified as Subhash Dongare of Mahgaon in Akola district. We are not in favour of any policy that alienates people from their land. either party should be in a position to approach an authority which can meditate and settle the dispute. He has demanded urgent steps to ensure food security in the affected districts. were false. (Times of India 30/5/07) NDC calls for law to save farmers' land (20) New Delhi : Several Chief Ministers have expressed concerns that contract farming could lead to land alienation. were murdered. said. Narayan Thak of Kotha village in Yavatmal." said Tiwari. He leaves behind his mother. Anti-Tata project activists had claimed that land loss was behind that death too. Sher Khan Chowk. Shyam Rathode of Manora in Washim and Devanand Ambedare of Tekapar in Bhandara. preferably headed by sub-divisional magistrate. Sources said the resumption of hostilities was a direct fallout of the failure of the peace talks. "It is necessary to prevent by law the displacement of farmers from their land as a consequence of any contract farming agreement. But contract farming is not harmful and States are free to devise their own policy. Meanwhile." the group said." Manna said. another elderly farmer committed suicide by consuming pesticide a couple of months ago as he was also depressed at having to concede his land to the Tata project.000. Das' land was acquired by the Government for the Tata Motors small car factory coming up in the area and he was suffering from depression since the forcible acquisition. the farmers'suicide toll this year has mounted to 406. He had not been able to till his land for one year and was worried about the future of his two daughters. however. Earlier on March 13. While two people. Becharam Manna. to mediate between sponsoring companies and farmers in case of disagreement between the two. The hapless farmer's death comes a day after the proposed Nandigram peace talks failed after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee walked out from the all-party meeting holding the West Bengal CPI(M) responsible for the failure of the peace process." Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said. He had owned five acres of land. while others feel that the partnership should be monitored. according to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. sources at the district administration said. the PM had visited Vidarbha and announced a special relief package for the farmers in the six districts of region's cotton growing belt. (Pioneer 26/5/07) Five more farmers commit suicide (20) NAGPUR: Even as Union ministers. The working group on marketing reforms. Nandigram flared up again with bombs and gunfire being exchanged between CPI(M) cadres and Trinamool backed Bhumi Ucchhed Pratirodh Committee since Thursday night." "Some States have opposed contract farming. "But the government is trying to play down the crisis. reported. "About 70-80 bombs were hurled at Tekhali. This year too the rate was alarming in the first five months. Tiwari said even the government website of the relief mission cited the number of suicides last year at 1427. including Tapasi Mallick. This is fourth unnatural death in the area after the hostilities began. The state is taking a stand that most of the suicide cases were out of non-agrarian reasons. ……. A sub-committee of the National Development Council (NDC) has called for a law to prevent displacement of farmers from their land as a consequence of contract farming. Last July.farmer was a resident of Khaserveri area in Singur. small and marginal farmers should be given full relief in the form of waiver of entire amount due. Suicides of farmers in the sugarcane growing areas of Belgaum. "Conversion of loans or reschedulement of loans are not every effective. However. While discouraging across the board waiver of loans. and procured harvest directly from the farmers. if natural calamity occurs consecutively for the third year. The group felt that if farmers face two consecutive natural calamities. it has proposed norms for loan and interest waiver in case of natural calamities. I am serious enough in the matter. so that he could bounce back after the next Assembly polls. fruit exporters have organised farmers." the report submitted to National Development Council said." However. and bridging the link between consumers and farmers. along with a provision that the size of holding of a farm family should not be above the ceilings fixed in respect of various categories of land in each State. Pioneer 1/6/07 Karnataka CM to quit if farmer suicides continue (20) Bangalore : The farm sector in Karnataka is in deep crisis and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said he would quit office before his term ends in October if farmers' suicides continue. it has proposed that a fund designated as National Agriculture Stabilisation Fund. In States like Maharashtra for instance. Lenders should have the prerogative to waive or write off the loans on the basis of well laid policy approved by their board. the response has been lukewarm." said the report of working group led by Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen. it wants a debt settlement board headed by independent expert to quickly resolve issues related to farmer's debt. NABARD as well as contribution by States and the Centre. Drawing the distinction between corporate and contract farming. The task is entrusted with rural financial institutions. Rural banks could now have these as the target and have their performance evaluated on this basis. Though the BJP-Janata Dal (S) Government is supposed to represent the pro-farmer lobby. The board could also settle the debt taken from money lenders. It wants every farmer under the net of institutional credit. It seems that the concept has worked where farmers have been able to organise themselves to grow a single produce. Contract farming can perform the above mentioned functions equally efficiently and. provided better seeds and know-how. CMs told (20) New Delhi : The Planning Commission feels that untimely announcements by Chief Ministers to waive of farmers' loans does more harm than good. if interest has already been paid. contract farming should get preference over corporate farming. The group wants panchayat and NGOs to identify the rural poor who are still not able to access institutional credit and furnish the list to the nearest local bank.contract farming has been mixed. therefore. especially in the sugarcane growing areas. ……. "Across the board waiver of loans should not be announced. in political circles it is believed that the Chief Minister is planning to step down early to create a 'sympathy wave'. At each district. Bidar . With more corporate entering the retail network." The sub-group has recommended that land leasing policy should be such as to help promote contract farming so that tenant farmers could benefit from the adoption of new technology and assured price ad market provided by any company. the group has proposed a universal access to financial system. open bank accounts and possess Kisan Crdit Card.. To prevent exploitation of farmers by unscrupulous money-lenders. there should be some arrangement for interest waiver or one-third of principle due. "It is not that I reacted casually to the increasing instances of farmers' suicides and offered to quit. the report said: "Corporate farming for promoting agricultural diversification. In the wake of mounting suicides. The group also proposes a small annual cess on each farmers who avail of the loan to raise the fund. If natural calamities occur consecutively for two to three years. The group recommended that land leasing should be made legal in all areas. The fund could be created through annual contributions through profits made by nationalised banks. there is no doubt that the State Government has totally failed to tackle the agrarian crisis in rural Karnataka. (Pioneer 31/5/07) Don't write off farm loans across board. if natural calamities occur consecutively for a few years. value addition and exports may be encouraged only when the country attains a reasonable level of food security at both macro and household level. the mere conversion of loan only increases the debt burden of the largely rain-fed farmers. But in traditional agrarian States like Punjab and Haryana. more companies are expected to contract their produce to farms. For the purpose of waiver. Kumaraswamy has stated that he would quit office much before the completion of his 20-month term in October. it fetches up to Rs 1. Now.” the member added. in his foreword to the three-year report card of UPA released last month. Even prices of copra and mangoes have nose-dived. the country’s farmer suicide capital. the 14 sugar factories in the district are not in a position to crush the sugarcane. The bumper production is being bought by the sugar factories at rock-bottom prices. the PM indicated he expected the report by the end of May."The worst affected are the sugarcane farmers in Belgaum district.500. The Opposition legislators demanded that the government must take adequate steps to help poor cotton farmers to come out of the debt trap. personally appointed by the PM after his visit. Our recommendations call for institutional reforms as well as specific regional measures to tackle the different manifestations of indebtedness in different parts of the country. The report submitted to . A high-level expert group under Indira Gandhi Institute of Development and Research (IGIDR) Director R Radhakrishna. "We are already reeling under the burden of loan waiver. the Government has already got two other reports on the issue. it was the traders who got the benefit. (Pioneer 7/6/07) State Government denies suicide by cotton farmers (20) BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Wednesday denied of any cotton farmer committing suicide in the State due to neglect on the part of the administration. we have requested the Union Government to support our efforts by at least 50 per cent. but their recommendations remain largely on paper. “We met on Monday and have begun drafting the final recommendations. JUNE 13: Almost a year after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s much-hyped visit to Vidarbha. It is not just the sugarcane farmers who are in trouble. he added. Mandis (collection centres) had also been established in cotton growing areas through the Regional Marketing Committees. committee members told The Indian Express that the report would take another two-three weeks. the Planning Commission had set up a sub-group on ‘indebtedness of farmers’ within the working group on ‘outreach of institutional finance and cooperative reforms’ for the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Replying to an adjournment motion moved by Opposition Chief Whip Satyabhushan Sahu in the State Assembly on Wednesday. However. Agriculture Minister Surendranath Nayak said that the government had taken a series of measure to help cotton farmers to increase their yield. the Government does not have the funds when the farmers are in dire straits. Even as the group’s report is awaited. The Minister claimed that the cotton farmers in different parts of the State were being provided with quality seed through government's seed outlets. Participating in the discussion on the motion. with the farmers being paid less than Rs 1.36 crore tonnes.and Mandya has been shooting up in the past few weeks and the government has not been able to go to their rescue for want of funds. However.” a member said. Nayak said. involving nearly Rs 60 crore.000 per tonne. There has been a bumper crop this year and the production is estimated at 1. He further said that the State Government had also requested the Cotton Corporation of India and the Central Government to extend the necessary assistance for the marketing of the cotton being produced in the State. The Chief Minister has now admitted that the loan-waiver scheme has not helped the farmers substantially. While it was originally expected much before the Budget. bordering Maharashtra. There is no doubt that the coalition Government is paying the price for announcing the loan waiver in the Budget to appease the farming community. whereas in neighbouring Maharashtra. Mr. is yet to submit its report. the UPA Government’s plan to tackle the problem of rising rural indebtedness is yet to kick off. Therefore. several Opposition legislators blamed the Government for several incidents of alleged suicide by cotton farmers in different districts. Kumaraswamy noted: "I released money for direct purchase of copra from farmers. Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said the Government has finalised a compensation package for sugarcane farmers. Punjab State Planning Board Vice-chairman Sardar Singh Johl chaired the two groups. the Minister said. “The suicides are only a symptom of the crisis in the farm sector due to its prolonged neglect. Arrangements had also been made to make loans available to cotton farmers through various cooperative organisations. But. In order to ensure market linkage for cotton farmers. While an RBI-appointed technical committee on alleviating rural indebtedness submitted its report last November. (The Hindu 7/6/07) Farmers’ suicides: PM plan for sector delayed (20) NEW DELHI. Referring to the effort of the Government to help copra farmers. Senior RBI officials say that the scheme is still being finalised. The package was announced during the recent National Development Council meeting. for immediate quality control of seeds input and stop the trials and sale of the BT cotton seeds in dry land." Samiti leader Kishore Tiwari told The Hindu . accompanied by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. In his annual policy speech this April. Kalam enquired if they had benefited from the government packages. Tiwari said. (Indian Express 14/6/07) Kalam hears woes of ryots' wives (20) YAVATMAL: It was a poignant scene at the airport here on Friday. "Contrary to our fears. Mr. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his Cabinet colleagues were not present during the interaction." Among other issues. They replied in the negative. They even blamed the BT Cotton for their plight. Mr. Kalam delayed his departure to interact with the wives and activists of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti who have been working hard to salvage Vidarbha's sinking agrarian economy. A sympathetic Mr. Kalam spent nearly 25 minutes with the women. "We told him that the yield of the BT cotton was as low as 50 kg per acre and pointed out how claims about its usefulness were false. It also demanded a ban on misleading advertisements the BT cottonseeds. 1983. The women wept while narrating their plight. At Tuesday’s meeting. Twenty-year tax holidays. chaired by Mr. will also look at what the States propose to achieve under the new package for enhancing productivity.P. the progress in the implementation of the rehabilitation package is lagging. The President even chided officials who tried to hurry him up. capital subsidies and other benefits for clean and green industries have been mooted to lure industry to the countryside along with a mandate to employ at least 80 per cent workers from rural areas. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.J. open up of trading in commodity options and enable banks to act as aggregators so that small and marginal farmers can partake in futures and options trading. But that is yet to happen. Although the suicide rate is officially reported to have come down in these States. A delegation of the wives of farmers who committed suicide in distress. As for the new legislation for moneylenders. 17. While reviewing the progress on Tuesday — which was found to be tardy on the credit and irrigation fronts — --Mr. (The Hindu 16/6/07) Farmers’ suicides: PM to visit 3 States (20) NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will again visit next month the three States from which the highest number of farmers’ suicides were reported — Vidarbha in Maharashtra. The visit will take stock of the progress made by these States in implementing the Rs. He quoted Mr. "I am disturbed and will raise the matter with the officers concerned at the Centre and the State. whose report is expected by June 30. RBI Governor Y V Reddy promised that the details of a Credit Guarantee Scheme for distressed farmers will be placed in the public domain by May 31.000 crore Farmers’ Rehabilitation Package announced by the Centre for 31 districts in these States and in Kerala. met President A.RBI suggested some far-reaching moves — set up of a self-sustaining Rural Credit Guarantee Scheme for making good non-wilful defaults. Pawar and attended by . who are committing suicide by hundreds every year. particularly that of the cotton growers. and most significantly. The memorandum urged the President to invoke the constitutional provisions and seek an explanation from the Government on the hopeless situation of the farmers and direct it to provide food and healthcare to the families besides implementing the provisions of the Seeds Control Order. Abdul Kalam on Friday. the memorandum blamed "uncontrolled and unrestricted sale of spurious seeds" for the distress and sought a blanket ban on BT cottonseeds in the dry land farming areas. The recommendations made to the RBI as well as the Planning Commission are largely similar and both stress on the need to attract industries to rural areas to remove excess people from farming and reduce small and marginal farmers’ reliance on farm income alone. the RBI had appointed a technical group under Punjab National Bank Chairman and MD SC Gupta. It was also recommended that banks set up financial and technical counselling centres for distressed farmers. enact a new ‘Moneylenders’ Regulation Act’ to protect small farmers from usurious rates of interest. The Prime Minister. who told him that their condition had further deteriorated and they were unemployed. the President was well aware of the situation and questioned the women while reading the memorandum presented to him. 2007. Pawar virtually used this information as a stick for the States to speed up the implementation process. according to a spokesperson of the Samiti. Kalam as saying." Mr. June 28: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s recent threat to quit if farmers don’t stop committing suicide is being put to the test. the States came up with a lot of procedural and funds-related grievances that were proving to be roadblocks in making effective the Centre’s intervention effective. The minor irrigation programme has not started because it has been linked to credit under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund. The farmer. The farmer from Hiresave village in Hassan said he took the Rs 6 lakh loan from a private finance company and was subsequently under pressure to repay the loan. (The Hindu 20/6/07) Panel worries over cotton farmer suicides (20) Bhubaneswar : The Standing Committee of the State Assembly on Tuesday expressed concern over the rising number of death of cotton farmers in the State. The reasons given are cumbersome guidelines and confusion in availability of funds. (Pioneer 20/6/07) CM still can’t plug farmers suicides (20) Bangalore. who told him to approach the Hassan police for help. They are seeking 90 per cent grant instead of 25 to be able to complete irrigation projects that will benefit farmers in the 31 predominant suicide districts of these States. The Committee recommended the Government to distribute the BPL cards and APL cards to all the household by March 31. they are taking loans from the brokers on a higher interest. Two days ago a farmer attempted to commit suicide by consuming pesticide outside the residence of Kumaraswamy’s father. He said he initially approached Kumaraswamy and later he went to CM’s brother and PWD minister H D Revanna for help. gave him an initial payment of Rs 60. The financier. Later when the crop fails. the home district of the Gowda family. earlier funded by the banking division of the Finance Ministry under the 10th Plan.senior officials including the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. As they do not have the land. However. On June 26. in Bangalore. rainwater harvesting and micro-irrigation projects. "The Government should think over this issue seriously and must come out with a plan to introduce a new policy in this regard. As the State Government has not come up with any attractive package for them. said the Chief Minister and his family had failed to help him overcome a debt of Rs 6 lakh incurred on a tractor loan. he met Deve Gowda. 2008. forcing him to rush to Deve Gowda once again on June 25 only to be rebuked and sent out this time. chairman of the Committee Niranjana Patnaik said the state has 2 lakh hectare land which are suitable for cotton cultivation. The affected States are also seeking relaxation of norms under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme for major and medium irrigation programmes. Somashekhar says he was told that the police could do nothing to help him. The Committee. With no money to till his land he sought a Rs 1 lakh loan on the tractor from another financier.000 hectare. The banks have neither met their lending targets nor have they given the requisite relief on loans and interests to farmers. for instance. Later speaking to reporters. Somashekhar. Police sources confirmed that the farmer had approached them for help. whereas the resource-starved States are looking for grants. according to Somashekhar. under the chairmanship of Opposition MLA Niranjana Pattnaik. After being shunted between the offices of the Hassan SP and the local police inspector. H D Deve Gowda.000 farmers in seven districts have already accepted cotton cultivation as their main source of livelihood.'' said Patnaik. When not allowed to meet the former Prime . Somashekhar returned to Deve Gowda’s house with a bottle of pesticide. hitting the programme. Around 46. Of which cotton is cultivated on 59. the farmer said he was helpless and was forced to seek political help. The rainwater harvesting programme.000 but subsequently defaulted on the remainder and also refused to return his tractor. When he could see no help from any quarters. Almost no progress was reported on watershed development. has not been included for funding under the same head in the 11th Plan. They alleged that the rice that were given under the Annapurna and Antodaya scheme. which held its meeting. Almost all the States complained of the slow progress made by nationalised banks in reducing the interest rate on farm loans and in rescheduling loans — which is at the centre of farmers’ distress in these drought-affected districts. said the State has no plan for the 11. have not yet been distributed. With his tractor gone and with no money to transport his sugarcane to the market. they commit suicides. from a village in Hassan.36 lakh farmers. 40. the member of the committee expressed their dismay over the failure of the civil supply system. so they are not eligible to get loans from any financial institutions. settlement of insurance claims and payment of drought relief assistance among others." Tiwari said in a statement issued from Nagpur. Security staff on duty at the house rushed Somashekhar to a hospital. (Indian Express 29/6/07) Relief measures fail to halt suicides by Vidarbha farmers (20) Mumbai : A year after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled a Rs 3. Tiwari attributed the failure of the PM's relief package to what he perceived as "apathy of administration" and "poor implementation" of all schemes under the package. Or how else one can explain the continued spate of suicides by debttrapped farmers in this region? For. for estimations of yields in a select group of crops. despite the visit of a delegation of MS Swaminathan-led National Commission of Agriculture and Planning Commission to Vidarbha and subsequent relief package announced by the Prime Minister for the region. not much has changed on the ground in this farmers' suicide belt of Maharashtra since then.K. “If he wants to commit suicide. 2006.Minister he drank the poison outside Gowda's house. The VJAS identified the six farmers as: Prakash Govinda Darane (Yerabala village in Yavatmal district).” Deve Gowda said. Saloba Yashwant Nikhalke (Shelgaon in Buldhana) and Raju Bikha Chavan (Magrulpir in Washim district). trade sources and other agencies. A concerned VJAS chief Kishor Tiwari urged the Prime Minister to order a detailed investigation into the root cause of the agrarian crisis which has led to over 5. after the farmer was discharged Deve Gowda reacted angrily to the attempted suicide on the sidelines of an event to induct cricketer Dodda Ganesh into the fold of the Janata Dal Secular.132 ." The Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute is on the job of developing a remote sensing-based methodology for collection of agricultural statistical data and a pilot project is underway in the North-Eastern state of . including space technology and on-line transfer of data. Mishra said. the National Statistics and Survey Organisation (NSSO). Gokul Laxman Bosari (Padha village in Yavatmal district).have committed suicide during this period. the meteorological department. A recent national workshop on farm statistics held under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) reasoned: "As recent sequence of events have proved.132 farmers . Union agriculture secretary P. July 15: Not happy with the present crop yield estimation methodology and infrastructure. The Samiti has been crusading for the farmers' cause for several years now. Have I cheated him for him to commit suicide in front of my house? I helped him get back the tractor he had mortgaged with a financier.750 crore package for Vidarbha region and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh went to town saying that his Government would in the coming years spend as much as Rs 10. It is therefore necessary that data is collected efficiently at village.000 crore for improving the irrigation facilities in this backward region. the State administration had been providing 'misleading' feedback to the Centre. taking the total number of suicides in this region during the last one year to 1." Inaugurating the workshop. "The need of the hour is to restore rural social and civil system in Vidarbha. He said that rampant corruption and excessive political interference had contributed to the ineffective implementation of the PM's package and as if to add insult to injury. Because. I cannot help it. On Wednesday. as the Rs 3. (Pioneer 6/7/07) Centre to focus on farm statistics (20) New Delhi. six more farmers ended their lives in the past 48 hours. Shankar Bapu Andhale (Dhaba village in Akola district). as many as 1. the Centre will now focus on improving the relevance and efficacy of farm statistics across the states by use of new technological tools.a shocking statistic arrived at by the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) through compilation of farmers' suicides reported from different parts of the cotton-growing region since the Prime Minister's visit on June 30 and July 1. agricultural statistics plays a crucial role in policy decisions ranging from export and import of farm commodities. pricing decisions. crop diversification. block and district levels. "States must bring their statistical departments to the mainstream of agricultural planning and put systems in place for timely collection of estimates and checking them with the data generated by the department of space.750 crore relief package has failed to arrest the on-going farmers' suicides in the region. On his part. Suresh Shankar Ghuge ( Gondi Mahagaon in Nagpur district).mostly debt trapped cotton farmers .Tiwari said farmers' suicides were continuing unabated.000 farmers' suicides since 2002. and also take a review as to how the relief package announced by the latter had not brought about any change in the lives of the aggrieved cotton growers during the last one year. the 11 latest victims of the agrarian crisis were identified as Dadarao Shembale of village Chincholi in Yavatmal. the House had been informed on February 21 that four farmers and 39 others had committed suicide due to debt between January 1. This transfer was done despite the Centre clearly identifying Karnataka Livestock Development Agency as the implementing agency. According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. The reason given by the state’s Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Department for handing over the relief programme to KMF was that the latter had “existing infrastructure and also marketing facilities available to the beneficiaries under the programme”. Energy Minister H D Revanna. the state had promised that it would achieve the year’s target at a lower spending of Rs 15. The aim of the project is to develop a suitable methodology for generation of data related to crop area and production through integration of remote sensing digital data and field surveys. 2007. the House was informed that between July 1. KMF confessed to the department that there was “very little time to identify the beneficiaries and get approval from district committees and for purchase of animals before March 2007”. a total of 50 farmers had committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh.05-crore emergency relief provided by the Centre. ending their lives over the last three days. in reply to another query. mostly from the six districts covered by the prime minister’s special relief package. the state cabinet handed over relief implementation to Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) whose chairman.575 crore. which is keeping a track of all farm suicides in the region. (The Hindu 24/7/07) 11 more farmers commit suicide (20) NAGPUR: The Vidarbha farmers suicide toll mounted to 551 with 11 more distressed cotton farmers. the Centre is also exploring other available tools. Samiti president . They even did not allow the Chief Minister to respond to their supplementary queries. Vilas Tekade of Pimpri Purna in Amravati. were to be involved only in setting up milk chilling plants. beneficiaries have been identified and bank loan arrangement for purchase of animals is being made. the state has not spent a single penny out of the Rs 16. Karnataka says not a single paisa spent (20) NEW DELHI. Bandu Matange also of Washim. 2006. and January 31. It was specifically asked why. Prime among them is the Agricultural Census carried out once in five years — which is at present mired in logistical problems as the census data becomes obsolete by the time it is released. 2004. Anand Ghege of Eranda in Washim. is the brother of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. Vija Munde of Karli in Akola. While the remote sensing-based method is more appropriate for the hilly North-Eastern states. in response to a query. in order to conduct and complete the farm census in time. But almost a year later. and January 31. which are cooperatives and not state agencies.” KMF said on May 18 this year. The question was ‘why there should be any contradiction in the official reply to questions on the issue of suicide by farmers’. the national workshop also recommended a legislation on the lines of Population Census and Industrial Statistics. JULY 22: It was to be immediate extra income for farmers in Karnataka to stop them from committing suicide out of penury. walked out of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly during question hour on Monday over the issue of farmers’ suicide. Shriram Kamble of Dahegaon in Amravati. Prahlad Patil of Belora in Amravati. Vithal Dakhare of Bhendala in Yavatmal and Gajanan Kothade of Elakhedi in Wardha. “However.” Karnataka’s Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services Commissioner endorsed on June 8. till date a sum of Rs NIL has been utilized.Meghalaya. (Asian Age 16/7/07) A yr after it got 16-cr as relief for farmers. Dhondu Solanke of Ghota in Akola.04 lakh of grants-in-aid sanctioned during 2006-07 in favour of Karnataka under Special Livestock Package for suicide prone districts of the state. State dairy federations. Hence. Jamuna Devi. All efforts are being made for achieving the targets of 200607 and 2007-08 by the end of March 2008. The Congress members protested as they were not satisfied with the reply to a written question relating to suicides by farmers in Madhya Pradesh. Sarangdhar Wasatkar of Chargaon in Akola. 2007. But in January. “Certified that out of the Rs 1605. On the same day. (Indian Express 23/7/07) Walk-out over farmers’ suicide issue (20) BHOPAL: Congress legislators led by the Leader of the Opposition. When the scheme was floated by the Centre last August after 71 farmers committed suicide in Karnataka alone. But five months later. which would benefit the farmers in distress and reduce their hardships. It directed the Principal Secretary (Rehabilitation) to file a fresh affidavit carrying all the details within next 10 days. Additional Divisional Commissioner and Director General of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swalamban Mission (VNSSM). the bench had observed: "So far as the issue of farmers suicides involved in the criminal writ petition is concerned it is undoubtedly very serious in nature and." The bench had accordingly directed the State Government to come with details of various schemes undertaken by it to deal with the farmers' crisis. The BJP.000 per quintal to Rs 2. he added. there has been no looking back to better days for the cultivators. The HC bench agreed with the petitioner's contention that it did not have the relevant information pertaining to the farm loan/credit policy. HC to Maha Govt (20) Mumbai : A concerned Bombay High Court on Monday a took serious note of the Maharashtra Government's failure to deal effectively with the unabated farmer suicides in Vidarbha and directed the Vilasrao Deshmukh dispensation to furnish all details about its various policy initiatives to deal with the agrarian crisis in the backward region. (Times of India 4/8/07) BJP's farmers rally to seek higher support price for crops (20) New Delhi : Reiterating its demand for a CBI probe into wheat import scam. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that farmers from all neighbouring States would assemble in the Capital for the August 20 rally and would march up to Parliament to lodge their protest against "anti-farmer" policies. education and aspiration of urbane lifestyles have only added to the distress sinking farmers deeper into debt burden and crisis.Kishore Tiwari claimed that after introduction of costly Bt seeds and withdrawal of advance bonus under cotton monopoly procurement scheme two years ago. (Pioneer 4/8/07) File affidavit on Vidarbha suicides. the Government filed its affidavit through Lokesh Chandra.500. It has sought an increase of Rs 100 in the MSP of all food commodities. "Input costs are growing by the day while income is shrinking and there is a virtual collapse in rural economy as costs of healthcare. Monday was the second occasion when the HC bench had taken the State Government to task on the Vidarbha agrarian crisis issue. a Nagpur-based division bench of the High Court. We expect the concerned authorities at all levels to look into the issue without lapse of time considering the gravity of the situation and try to evolve a formula/package. Tiwari has urged the prime minister to intervene in the matter and review it to find an effective solution as the earlier relief package of Rs 3. Hearing a PIL filed by Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti chief Kishore Tiwari. recovery policy and interest waiver schemes implemented for the cotton grower farmers of Vidarbha region. (Pioneer 7/8/07) . therefore. has alleged that the Government ordered wheat import last month at much higher price than the tender it had rejected in May." said Tiwari. the BJP on Friday announced that it would hold a farmers' rally and a protest march in New Delhi on August 20 to press for an increase in minimum support price for food commodities. The party would press the Government to extend farm loans at four per cent interest and put in place a minimum income guarantee scheme for farmers. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. comprising Justice Dilip Sinha and Justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari. which has sought resignation of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. Not satisfied with the State Government's say on the issues raised by the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. we are very much concerned about the same. VJAS has threatened to launch an agitation from August 15 to press for their demand to hike the minimum support price of cotton from Rs 2. on July 13. Leader of Opposition LK Advani and BJP president Rajnath Singh will address the rally at Delhi's Ram Lila ground. the HC division bench asked the Government to come with clarifications to specific queries like: "How much amount of farm loan/credit is made available to cotton growing farmers? What is the Government's credit policy for different regions in the State? What is the farm loan recovery policy being implemented in various regions? How the interest waiver scheme is being implemented? How the Crop Insurance Policy is being implemented in Vidarbha?" Earlier in the day. expressed serious concern about the recurring farmers' suicides in Vidarbha region and observed that the State Government did not seem to be very serious about the issue. within the next 10 days.750 crore has failed to stem the spate of suicides in Vidarbha. For. 20: Farmers and activists concerned about food security and sovereignty in the country are opposed to the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and are planning largescale protests in various parts to oppose this Indo-Japan joint venture.12.000 farmers have committed suicide. Ms Shiva said. only one-fourth of the markets have drying yards. the mandi system has been unable to cope with the pressure. While farmers are displaced or forced to suicide. The Indian Express reported that the Mayawati Government has amended the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act. Activists feel that Indian farmers have produced adequate food for the country through their knowledge. paving the way for private investment in agriculture. This will change the way farmers in the state operated till now. Madhya Pradesh. An estimated investment of Rs. skills and hard work. Uttar Pradesh. "Most that 40 per cent of the children are underweight and one third of the world’s hungry children are in India. Large investments are needed to modernise the system. (Asian Age 21/8/07) Amended Act opens up options for farmers (20) On Monday. She was speaking about DMIC and other issues concerning farmers at the two day National Convention on Food Sovereignty. farmers markets for direct sale and promotion of publicprivate partnership in the management of agricultural markets. they alleged. The draft model legislation provides for establishment of private markets. With the Government deciding to amend the Agriculture Produce Marketing Act (APMC). the country’s food and nutritional security is under threat with 80 per cent of children in the country suffering from anaemia. They warned that a new movement will be launched against DMIC from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai and Raigad in Maharastra and also all along the stretch of the proposed corridor. for which regulatory changes like amending the Act is needed. Founder of Navdanya Vandana Shiva said the corridor passes through the most fertile land of Haryana. A major portion of this investment is expected from the private sector. All transactions are done in the market yard after a payment of a mandi fee. direct purchase centres." Farmers and representatives of movements from Nandigram. Gujarat and Maharastra. activists plan stir (20) New Delhi. But they have been pushed into debt and destruction but the policies of the government. thus preventing distress sales. produce will no longer need to be sold exclusively in mandis." Half of the country is going hungry due to the distorted policies of trade liberalisation which benefit corporations but punish the small farmers. She said such large scale acquisitions for industralisation in fertile farm lands will seriously affect farmers in these states and threaten the food security in our country. • What is the need for private investment in agriculture marketing system? There is a considerable gap in the facilities available in the market yards. POSCO. According to a Government report. with the volume of products going up. Uttar Pradesh has been the latest to introduce the reforms. • Does this benefit the farmer? The farmer will have several options to sell his produce. Contract farming can ensure a farmer an assured market . Rajasthan. large investments are required for the development of post harvest and cold chain infrastructure nearer to the fields.Farmers. Gurgaon. "The first threat to food security and food sovereignty is the threat of fertile farms land. Aug. He may choose to store his perishables in a cold storage or his grains in a warehouse and sell at a later date. SEZ’s and DMIC threaten farmers livelihoods and the nations food security. Agriculture produce in the country is bought and sold in the mandi which is a Government-regulated market. Cold storage units exist only in 9 per cent of the markets and grading facilities exist in less than one-third of the markets. • Why cannot private companies invest without the amendment of the APMC Act? They have to procure agricultural commodities directly from fields to link farm production and the retail chain or food processing units. Nyamgiri.230 crore in the next Plan is required for infrastructure. More than 1. Dadri. Farmers do not get a price for their perishables and nearly 30 per cent of it is wasted. here. • What is the need to amend the APMC Act? In order to make marketing efficient. said Ms Shiva. • Is contract farming part of this? A separate chapter has been included in the legislation to regulate and promote contract farming which is essentially an arrangement between the buyer and the growers before a crop is grown. Jajjar and Raigad spoke about the new corporate land grab and committed themselves to continue the defence of farmers land sovereignty. the Centre circulated the model Bill for states to adopt. Since agriculture is a state subject. Over the years. She said.50. Although these are “dynamic” figures — revised upward after official scrutiny of each case — the total number. is down from 760 in the first seven months of 2006 to 664 in the same period this year — a dip of 13 per cent. the government’s tally is drawn from police records and is higher than the number released by the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. These things. AUGUST 25 : As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives here next week one year after he announced a package for distressed farmers in six cotton-producing districts. it will replace the existing National Agricultural Policy-2000. Incidentally. Haryana. land resources. • Which states have amended the APMC Act? Madhya Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh. Highly placed Government sources told The Indian Express that an inter-ministerial committee will be constituted to look into their programmes for the purpose of effective operationalisation of the NPF. They will promote standardisation. the first glimmer: farmer suicides down (20) NAGPUR. The policy will contain implementable features related to land. between January and June. will be sorted out before the Government announces its policy. Maharashtra and Chandigarh have notified reforms in their APMC Act. power. the policy envisages a relook at various schemes operated by departments of rural development. Punjab. • What will the marketing committees do in the changed scenario? They will act as regulators and ensure the validity of contracts and make sure that the private markets yards are paying their fees. quality certification. building a Market Intervention Fund and the separation of Minimum Support Price from procurement where the Government can procure from market at prices higher than the MSP. however. The overall suicide tally in the six districts — Akola. The government’s data is as per “suicide eligibility” norms recommended by Mumbai’s Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research (IGIDR). the UPA Government is all set to announce the much awaited National Policy for Farmers (NPF)-2007 in the current session of Parliament. biodiversity. will be significantly lower than that of last year. Sikkim. Chhattisgarh. In a move that indicates the Government’s concern over agrarian crisis. power. profitability and stability of the agricultural sector as suggested by the National Commission of Farmers (NCF). Washim. The samiti’s figures for the same period are 605 for all the 11 districts of Vidarbha. Orissa. grading. Of the 1448 suicides last year. Rajasthan. Sources said the Finance Ministry had expressed its opinion against the universalisation of PDS. Anyone in the family committing suicide is the criterion. Of these. The sources confirmed that the NPF was considered in Thursday’s Cabinet meeting. there are some NCF recommendations that might not find favour with the Government as there could be objections from quarters within the Government. Arunachal Pradesh. and water resources to bring them in alignment to meet the objectives of the new policy. This year. were classified as agrarian suicides. “agrarian” suicides — due to indebtedness and crop failure — are down. Significantly. and climate resources essential for raising productivity. it’s not necessary that the farmer should have committed suicide for his family to become eligible. Once announced. Nagaland. setting up of Gram Panchayat Mahila Fund and Livestock Feed and Fodder Corporation.(Indian Express 24/8/07) In Vidarbha’s darkness. 332. too. market led extension and training of farmers. he will have reason to hold out hope: nature and “nurture” have worked together to bring down farmer suicides and push up farm incomes.at the end of the season. at a price known to him from before. which was constituted by the UPA Government soon after coming to power in 2004. water. the proposed CCFS will deal with subjects related with providing policy guidelines for developing and implementing a socially and economically sustainable food security programmes and the agriculture sector in the country. In this context. Andhra Pradesh. the policy includes a proposal to set up a Cabinet Committee on Food Security (CCFS). the number until June is only 90. Amravati. officials say. August 23: After launching Food Security Mission (worth about Rs 4900 crore) and Additional Central Assistance (Rs 25000 crore) for agriculture sector. Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have undertaken reforms partially by amending APMC Act through an Ordinance. Karnataka. as suggested in the NCF. So confident is the Maharashtra . Yavatmal and Wardha — as per official records. Buldana. However. an NGO which regularly releases suicide figures to the media. (Indian Express 21/8/07) Centre set to announce National Policy for Farmers this session (20) NEW DELHI. Likely to be framed on the lines of other Cabinet committees like the ones on economic affairs and security. “One of the major lacunae in the farm package is non-availability of credit to defaulters this year. That is the reason why we need to have continued at least the interest-waiver for three to four years. Another Rs 130 crore came in as relief against natural calamities. respectively — fetching an average price of Rs 1. 12 lakh farmers got relief worth Rs 400 crore as reimbursements of their deposits with the Cotton Federation. attributing this year’s improvement to policy interventions over the last one year in the form of packages from both the state and the Centre: availability of credit. BILT. But officials are keeping their fingers crossed.543 crore in March 2006 to Rs 5. they can pay in instalments. • Farmers got an interest waiver of over Rs 700 crore. DCM Sriram. they are not supposed to repay their old debts until two years from now and even after that.800 in Orissa. Thomas Natural Products. The states. the matter is being examined by a group of ministers (GoM) to finalise the draft of the rehabilitation and resettlement policy. said: “Some steps have been initiated and things have started moving in a positive direction. rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh informed the House.” said one of them who did not wish to be named. Cadbury India.2 lakh cotton bales last year.” In fact. United Breweries. (Asian Age 30/8/07) . Reliance Agrotech.000 crore was disbursed in Rs 200607.5 lakh to 10 lakh.government of the accuracy of its data that it has asked IGIDR to independently validate it. production this year was 15. have been asked to adopt cost-effective methods for recharge of groundwater and to prioritise addressing arsenic and fluoride problems. The law provides that an applicant seeking employment under the NREGA will be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance if he or she gets no job within 15 days. Currently. • Number of farmers getting loans went up from 4. say officials. 29: Contract farming is being carried out on more than 400. The data. showed a total 425. Markfed Punjab. 2. Soyabean figures for the two years were 7. Pepsi. All this has translated into several positive indicators: • Substantial increase in rural deposits from Rs 4. rather than restricting it to one year. • Significantly. interest waiver and moratorium on loan repayment for two years to schemes like funding of farmers’ daughter’s marriages and checks on private money-lenders. On unemployment allowance.000 in Gujarat.21. 1894. “Since agricultural gains and losses are a cyclic process. rabi area (2 lakh hectares in 05-06) went up three times (6 lakh hectares in 06-07) due to the soil retaining moisture after a good monsoon.000 hectares across the country.834 hectares under contract farming across the country.5 and 11.” Certainly. ITC. the government has received 93 complaints from 15 states regarding irregularities in the implementation of the national rural employment guarantee act. which is fast replacing cotton as the main crop in these districts. 1. (Indian Express 26/8/07) ‘Contract farming informal’ (20) New Delhi.36.610 hectares under contract farming in Tamil Nadu. “Whatever agrarian suicides that are now being witnessed are mainly because of high cost of cultivation on small land-holdings. On land acquisition. J K Paper.490 per quintal this year compared to Rs 1. Moreover. Speaking to The Sunday Express. • Compared to Rs 750 crore given in loans in 2005-06. 1.V. Hafed.2 lakh. attributed by authorities mainly to the huge spurt in the use of Bt cotton. • Early this year. as per Lead Bank Managers’ report.125 last year. Add to this good rains that led to an unprecedented spurt in rabi production and lucrative prices for soyabean. gains made in one year can be washed out the next year if monsoon and markets aren’t good. however. the Radhakrishnan Committee that looked into farmers’ indebtedness did recommend continuation of interest-waiver facility so that farmers continue to get fresh loans. WIMCO. 59.” says Amravati Divisional Commissioner S K Goel. he said the government was considering bringing amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. Rs 2. Foodpro and Mohan Breweries and Distilleries are major agencies involved in contract farming. and revising the national policy on resettlement and rehabilitation of project-affected families.471 crore (March 2007). who did the IGIDR study on Vidarbha’s suicides.7 lakh tonnes. The Union minister cited state-wise data that showed 2. he said. was informal in nature as yet.924 in Goa and 20 in Bihar. Srijit Mishra.457 in Punjab. Maxworth Orchards. Aug. Union minister of state for rural development Chandra Sekhar Sahu said in the Rajya Sabha that Hindustan Lever. Godrej Agro Escorts. The activity. A. Cotton saw a bumper harvest — as against about 9. The GoM is also examining associated legislative measures in cases relating to land acquisition for consideration of the Cabinet. Sungrow. based on information supplied by different states. Nature also has helped but the crisis will need to be addressed in a sustained manner. The Sunday Express investigated the Jan Andolan Samiti list of farmer suicides. agriculture extension. which is not part of the PM’s package.80 crore was spent. 2006. Yavatmal dist). Marwadi (Pusad. On Friday in Mumbai.784. Over seven years. the total number of suicide cases reported was 1. along with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and senior officials and Ministers. The special rehabilitation package was announced for six districts of Vidarbha — Amravati. providing loans for alternative income from dairy. “As a result of the successful implementation of both the State and Central government packages.750crore package announced on July 1. “Uddhav had no debt. (One suicide is from Gondia. “On what basis was the government saying they had reduced.795. According to the latest update on the package. he admitted. SEPTEMBER 1: The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti which regularly trots out farmer suicide figures in Vidarbha announced a startling list of 10 farmer suicides in 24 hours last week.” the note concludes. He said it was a good idea to create an organic cotton zone in Vidarbha to help farmers.000 farmers committed suicide and there was complete apathy on the part of the government and political parties on this issue. he said. Even if they paid this amount now the suicides would not stop. 10. so far Rs. However. Akola. increasing credit flow. During 2006. the suicide rate is reduced to almost half compared to what it was prior to the implementation of the package. 621 cases were inquired into by the district level committees and 106 cases were found to be due to “agrarian distress. apart from water shed development and horticulture. 2. suicide on August 21 The Ades have no agriculural land. increasing irrigation potential and expediting pending projects. 1. Buldana. waiver of interest. Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti who has been tracking the suicides.” says a villager.) The newspaper found that the suicides happened over six days and only two of them were related to the agrarian crisis. Hindu 31/8/07) How facts die in Vidarbha’s suicide count (20) Nagpur.” the official note said. The government’s track record in buying cotton was reducing every year and this must improve. Since the package was announced over a year ago. covering the region from Nagpur to Buldana to trace eight of the nine cases in the crisis belt. 1. 3. told journalists here that there were 771 suicides so far this year as per the government’s own records. Yavatmal. 20. His father Tukaram refuses to talk about his son’s death. said an official note on the package. Out of this. 2. Every eight hours. The package consists of relief measures in the form of ex-gratia assistance for health and education. This year. he said.500 farmers killed themselves. We don’t know why he committed suicide. This came days after the number of suicides showed a dip thanks to government intervention. The government had to ensure that loans were waived completely in a phased manner and also give incentives to reduce the cultivation cost of cotton. a farmer was killing himself and the Prime Minister’s package had done nothing to change the situation. good rains and a bumper crop. The State government’s refusal to pay the promised Rs. reported by this newspaper last Sunday—and two days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to review the progress of the National Development Council’s new farm programme. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will review the Rs. 700 hundred cases were reported. voluntary groups are protesting against the Maharashtra government’s claims that suicides have come down and say the package is not the answer to the severe agrarian crisis in the region.448 out of which 577 cases were found to be due to agrarian distress. Yavatmal Collector Abha Shukla says Ade wasn’t a farmer and the reason for his suicide is not known. up to August 10. Washim and Wardha — to be implemented from 2006 to 2009. travelling over 1.” he asked. However.700 a quintal of cotton was dishonoured.02 crore was made available for different programmes under the package and till July 2007 end. It has to give the farmer good price protection as promised in the Congress party’s election manifesto. Rs. • Uddhav Ade. Status: Non-agrarian suicide .Claims of reduction in farmer suicides disputed (20) MUMBAI: On the eve of an official review of the Prime Minister’s special rehabilitation package for farmers of Vidarbha.400 km. He used to work as a farm labourer. Deorao’s two daughters are married and wife Kausalyabai works as a farm labourer. Asked if they had any loan burden. but he never tilled that and preferred to work in a butcher’s shop in Pandhakawda. Yavatmal dist). Undri. 50.” she says. “He was heavily drunk on the day he consumed poison. After . He often used to create a scene at the house. His father Fulsing has three dryland acres that grow cotton and tuar. “We don’t know the details.” says motherin-law Aasrabai. “He didn’t speak of any problem. we saw him hanging. Status: Non-agrarian suicide • Ramrao Daberao. That’s why he committed suicide by jumping into a well. It’s all because of liquor.000 government loan to repay. however. His parents. a student of BE in Mumbai’s VJTI. suicide on August 24 Ramdhan hanged himself at his in-laws’ place in the nearby Warwant village. Government records show a rescheduled loan of Rs 4.500 in his account for the current year (Source: Akola collector’s report). One of the beneficiaries of last year’s credit relief. Manatri (Telhara.” says the mother. Ramdhan’s brother-in-law Santosh Rajgade.” Status: Non-agrarian suicide • Devidas Rathod. He had gone there along with wife—to work on father-in-law Chintaman’s farm. But the next morning.• Ramdhan Chinchole. “We gave him a lot of medical treatment and were again going to take him to doctor but he chose to do this. work as farm labourers. Belonging to Sarode community of fortune-tellers. Status: Non-agrarian suicide • Ravindra Chaudhary. 70. Gangadhar and Suman. His family. Ganeshpur Sinchan (Pandharkawda. from the Banjara community.000 for 2007-08. we will give it tomorrow morning. 24. Status: Non-agrarian suicide • Deorao Baghale. His sons say he used to have his meals with them and there was no dispute. Shiroli (Ghatanji. Fulsing’s Yavatmal Dist Central Co-operative Bank passbook shows a fresh loan of Rs 18. His parents Yashodabai and Fulsing say they have no idea why he ended his life. 25. He was addicted to liquor and patte (playing cards). We said.000. “He had become a bit emotional after his daughter Panchkula had died after getting caught in a thresher three years ago. Wife Surekha is too dazed to say why her husband committed suicide. was married just three months ago and had no agricultural land in his name. He had no government loan to repay but his son Anil says he used to say he had loans.” he says. They have no pending credit burden.” Ramrao hanged himself in his house where he stayed alone. His irritability had grown of late. “no” . Akola). (Chikhli. Sakhra (Wardha dist). says he had “about Rs 12. “He had asked us for Rs 5. He was my most beloved child.” Anil is among the Deorao’s three sons.” Ramdhan had a share of two acres in his father Supdaji Chinchole’s land. suicide on August 26 Ramrao had two acres of land and had given away the rest to his four sons in partition. Buldana dist). they have a concrete house under Indira Awas Yojana. “He had lost his mental balance and used to say he had pain in the back of his head. suicide on August 25 Devidas.” says his mother Suman. suicide on August 26 The Chaudharys have no agricultural land and work as farm labourers. all married and working in local hotels. 25. suicide on August 25 Deorao has a share in the ancestral land at the nearby Usalmusal village. they say. says: “I tell you there is no other reason. Yavatmal dist). Ramdhan’s widow Surekha says: “He said he had taken a lot of money from people. (Indian Express 2/9/07) ‘Farmer suicides went up after ’06’ (20) New Delhi. The agriculture minister has announced that imports will continue next year. "The agriculture agreement is as much a threat to India’s sovereignty as the nuclear agreement.500 per tonne as minimum support price. 58. Ms Shiva said.000-crore package for farmers in 2006.” Status: Non-agrarian suicide • Kisan Meshram. “He is technically qualified for being declared an agrarian suicide since he fits the norms for compensation. It is part of the US strategy to use food as a weapon.000-17. is not going to have any favourable impact on . her married son Purushottam died due to electric shock. the heart of the so-called "suicide belt". which need more and more chemical inputs in the form of fertilisers and pesticides.that. Yeranda (Barshi Takli. the distress suicides of farmers remain unabated. was being spent as subsidies on MNCs. was also constantly increasing. while the price of cotton had fallen and the government had withdrawnfrom procurement altogether. Indian farmers are being paid Rs 8. This "irrational and unjustified" import of wheat at double the domestic cost was a direct fallout of the US-India agriculture agreement that was signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with the nuclear agreement in July 2005.” an official said. The preliminary inquiry by the Akola Collector says he was distressed due to a decade-old loan burden of Rs 42. This price. The family also claims he was upset as his farm had been hit by the floods.000 per tonne. had now announced a Rs 25.” his son Shriram says. Wheat for the poor is being provided at Rs 5 per kg. she added.’” he says. They contended that review of the special package by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his Mumbai visit over the weekend. hence the import subsidy will keep increasing. Ms Shiva. Ms Vandana Shiva said. founder of Navdanya. which goes to MNCs such as Cargill. says social activist Vandana Shiva.000 this year as fresh loan. but in the international market the government was buying wheat at Rs 16. says that there are two basic causes behind these suicides — high costs of inputs and low prices of agricultural produce. suicide on August 25 Kisan jumped into a village well on Saturday. Sept. “He used to ask us. have not been addressed in the Prime Minister’s package. What is perplexing is that while three other states also had witnessed a spate of suicides by farmers.000 per ton and sell it to the poor at Rs 5. But much more. Akola). Sept.000 crores for the quantities of wheat being imported. Ms Vandana Shiva. indicating that his family may be due for government compensation of Rs 1 lakh for agrarian suicides. Son Ravindra says Kisan appeared disturbed over the past few days. she claims. the report says. The additional amount that the government was spending was a subsidy for imports. The Akola Collector’s report says." (Asian Age 3/9/07) Vidarbha MPs critical of PM package (20) New Delhi.000-crore agricultural package. despite adequate domestic production. she claimed. on his recent visit to Maharashtra. noted that the Prime Minister. Navdanaya said the high-cost low-quality wheat was being imported for the public distribution system since the government had failed to procure low-cost high-quality wheat domestically. There were reports of tribals in Maharashtra falling ill after the imported wheat was distributed. it can’t be called as suicide due to loan pressure. 2: Plight of the Vidarbha farmers will not change until their loans with cooperative and other banks are not written off at least once. only in the cotton-growing Vidarbha region. “since he had taken loan for he current year. 2: Farmers’ suicides have increased sharply since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a Rs 4. These. there was no tagada (pestering for repayment) and he had got another Rs 8. The dependency being created on imported wheat.000. Why he committed suicide isn’t known when his old loan had been rescheduled. was based on two levels of subsidies related to imports. Farmers continue to be trapped in a cycle of dependency on unreliable and costly corporate seeds. To import wheat at Rs 17. ‘how I will repay the loan. He was affected by last year’s deluge that washed away his farm. who has just returned from Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region and had visited Yavatmal. MPs from the Vidarbha region have said.000 per ton adds another annual subsidy burden of almost Rs 60. ” Another contrast he brought out pertained to foodgrains intake. Sainath regretted the slow pace of tenancy reforms in the country. both of which show superior human development indicators than India. large scale corruption is taking place." (Asian Age 3/9/07) “Farmer suicides the symptom” (20) NEW DELHI: The crisis in the farm sector is a national one and not restricted to some States. suggested three immediate measures: "Increase of irrigation facilities. about Rs 800 crores benefited banks as the interest on loans was waived off. Adding to their vows." Mr Geete said. no other crop can be grown here. Reeling out chilling statistics which revealed how India remained a land of poverty amidst plenty. Quoting from the atlas of food security of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.000 will not do. India added more newly hungry millions than the rest of the world taken together. taking production cost into account and loans disbursal at lower interest rates. adding that “there is no such thing as Indian reality. out of which small and marginal farmers of the region cannot escape. he said. As the region receives very meagre rainfall and irrigation is very less. Why have over one lakh farmers killed themselves in the last decade?’ in Parliament House. was the closure of as many as 3. we are 126th in human development. There were unconfirmed reports of redrafting of the Vidarbha package. It is also widely believed that the Maharashtra government has not gone by the guidelines of the Prime Minister’s package. “It seems appalling to me that we can clear an SEZ in six months but we cannot do land reforms in 60 years across this country!” He drew the attention of Parliamentarians to the growing expenditure on health as India now had the sixth most privatised health system in the world.721 crores. said Magsaysay awardee and Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu P. Another alarming phenomenon. banks will not give a second loan as they remain defaulters even after loans are rescheduled. Sainath said India had the fourth highest number of dollar-billionaires in the world. Mr. is largely because the funds are not reaching farmers’ pockets but to the banks and the contractors involved in irrigation projects. Sainath while deliverin g a lecture on ‘Farm Crisis. “But. About Rs 70 crores allocated for building check dams in the fields will go to contractors only. The suicides are just the symptom not the disease. The last 15 years – which saw unprecedented prosperity among the rich – witnessed a decline in foodgrains intake.” Mr. the banks recovered their interests at the first opportunity and declined to disburse new loans. Loans of minimum Rs 1 lakh and more shall be given. one of the districts where distress suicides have been rampant. “Hunger grew at a time when it declined in Ethiopia." Mr Dhotre felt unless farmers are helped out by agriculture department officials. Dr Singh asked the Maharashtra government to adopt "differentiated agricultural strategies" to remove regional imbalances in the state. This forms a vicious circle.” Though India was an emerging tiger economy. This means that it is better to be a poor person in Botswana or the occupied territories of Palestine. behind only the United States.500 banks in the rural areas — without which there would have been no Green Revolution in the first place — between 1993 and 2002.750 crore package is spread over three years. they go to private money lenders. According to him. India may have 100. Also. For instance. the Prime minister’s package says that the interests on loans shall be recovered in five instalments that too after first two years. if there is unseasonal rain. "Since the crop loans are not written off and are only rescheduled. MP from Yavatmal. life expectancy here was lower than in Bolivia — the poorest country of Latin America — Kazakhstan and Mongolia.000 dollar millionaires but 800 million in this country existed on less than Rs. there are Indian realities. The state government is giving only 50 per cent subsidy on seed. Even in the milch cows subsidy scheme. Germany and Russia. he said. MNCs have greatly misled farmers on cotton seeds. 20 a day as per government data. However. no special package can come to their rescue. Ratnagiri Lok Sabha member Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) told this newspaper. Member of Parliament from Akola Sanjay Shyamrao Dhotre (BJP) said: "The Rs 3. hike minimum support price of cotton. The failure of the Special Package. Ironically enough. Hence. disbursing loans of Rs 50. .the situation. A new restaurant opens every day in some city of this country but the average rural family is consuming 100 kg less than it did 10-15 years ago because that is the food availability situation. In 2006. the crop will simply collapse and there will be zero yield and farmers cannot bear the loss." "Vidarbha farmers have no alternative but to grow cotton. who charge an exorbitant rate of interest unbearable by farmers. as viewed by Opposition MPs. he said in 1997-2002. of the Rs 1. land reforms had been carried out properly by only a handful of States. Harisingh Rathod. Police records. with fresh data from Bhavnagar made available. Bhavnagar police have put on record that at least 23 farmers committed suicide in the district between January 2003 and April 2007. However. The families of Mansukh Mer and Dhana Gohil. Bhandara and Nagpur. State Information Commissioner R N Das said that while the police made some serious efforts in collecting the data. The main crop in these districts has been paddy and due to . Not including them in the Prime Minister's special package smacks of bias and there is a wide spread feeling that this is gross injustice on the part of the government. during the second hearing on the petition before the State Information Commission. Interestingly. the information provided to the applicant does not always mention the reasons for suicide and other details like address of the deceased. Bhavnagar. Kawa Begad from Madia in Bhavnagar taluka. Gujarat Police on August 23 admitted that at least 366 farmers had committed suicide across 15 districts between January 1. requesting him to see that the other five districts are also included under his special package. Gondia and Bhandara are dotted by hills and the irrigation and employment needs of this area has been neglected for the past 25 years. The five eastern districts which were not considered for the package are . will submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday. an Ahmedabad-based activist. Agriculture in the eastern region is dependent only on rains just as the western Vidarbha. Sept. Chandrapur Lok Sabha member Hansraj Ahir said. Districts of Chandrapur. the State Information Commission has directed the Gujarat Police to update information and fill the gaps before the next hearing on September 10. Gadchiroli. Mahadev Shivankar.Wardha. told The Indian Express during a visit there last month. The state government is giving only the minimum support price announced. The government monopoly in procurement of cotton has been saddled in corruption and farmers across the whole region have been victims of this. Narmada and Dahod are provided.while banks have systematically withdrawn from credit for the rural areas. Gadchiroli and Gondia districts have been naxal-infested and hence cultivation and employment opportunities never received a fillip. police handed over the information on Bhavnagar district. 2007. Parliament members of Vidarbha districts that are receiving the packaged funds. they are increasingly wooing the upper middle classes. however.Chandrapur. Narmada and Dahod districts. Gandchiroli. The MPs from the five districts of Vidarbha. Meanwhile. including Hansraj Ahir (Chandrapur). The number is likely to cross the 400-mark once information on the same from districts of Banaskantha. 9: This is the story of the other half of Vidarbha region. Washim. It may also be noted here that in a response to the RTI application filed by Jhala.” Das said. like Wardha MP Suresh Wagmare are also signatories to the memorandum. At least 16 of them had killed themselves either for financial reasons or for crop failure. “The police department has been asked to update these information and provide the same to Jhala. Akola and Amravati. mentions Kawa Begad as the only farmer from the district to have killed himself following crop failure. Buldhana. which were not included in the Prime Minister's special package for farmers facing agricultural distress. committed suicide due to crop failure in 2006." The memorandum alleged that the distress districts were identified based on the false information provided by the Maharashtra state government to the Centre. (Indian Express 8/9/07) Left-out Vidarbha areas want share of package (20) New Delhi. The six Vidarbha districts getting the package are . Yavatmal. which form part of the western Vidarbha region. It also stated that at least one farmer. "The situation in the eastern districts is bad as in the western Vidarbha and the poor tribals are living in the eastern districts only. The reply had also mentioned that there was “nil information” on Banaskantha. but is withholding the incentive bonus already announced. now demand that these five districts shall also be included in the special package." the memorandum said. Shishupal Patle (Bhandara) among others. 2003. The MPs are planning to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submit a memorandum to this effect. on Thursday. September 7: In a response to a petition filed under the RTI Act by Bharatsinh Jhala. Parliament members of the BJP. and April 30. Chandrapur. (The Hindu 7/9/07) RTI reveals fresh suicides (20) Ahmedabad. Meanwhile. "The situation of farmers in eastern Vidarbha has been worse off. Gondia. farmers from the same village. the number of farmers committing suicide in Gujarat in this period has touched 389. that the two had committed suicide after crop failure last year. Also. Speaking to this newspaper. The main drawback as pointed out by industrialists is lack of a railway line passing through this area. commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and published in 2005. Mr Tiwari also took exception to Mr Deshmukh’s sarcastic remark at the conference that nobody should think Vidharbha farmers were not innovative." Mr Vaghela said." said Mr Tiwari. just like farmers here. The farmers in Gujarat. Chief Minister Raman Singh is the chairman of the commission and Agriculture Minister Megha Ram Sahu is its vice-chairperson. "They sprinkle water on cotton or insert stones in cotton bales [to increase weight] before bringing the produce to procurement centres. Mr Vaghela is at the receiving end for calling debtridden.5 per cent farmers were familiar with modern agricultural practices like use of modern equipment. SEPTEMBER 9: With nearly 78 per cent of the total rural households engaged in farming activity. What can the government do in this situation? You must try and emulate the farmers of Gujarat. "It was absurd to compare the farmers of Gujarat and Maharashtra. chemical fertilisers and HYV seeds. “Instead of forming the commission. Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly Mahendra Karma said the Government was forced to initiate this step in an effort to garner its vote bank in the backward districts of the state." Mr Tiwari said." He advised the farmers of Maharashtra to go to Gujarat and see for themselves the practice there. The mainly tribal-inhabited Gadchiroli district has very less number of industries. However. Mr Tiwari criticised the minister for "rubbing salt into the wounds of the farming community". keeping in mind the upcoming Assembly elections. I did not see a single farmer working in his field. The decision was taken after a report released by the Chhattisgarh Human Development stated that only 1.000 cotton farmers committed suicide due to the agrarian crisis. The formation of Chhattisgarh Farmers’ Welfare Commission had faced flak from the Opposition Congress. The effigies of Mr Vaghela were burned as a mark of protest in the dying fields of Vidarbha where more than 5." Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said. which is aimed at improving the state’s agriculture sector. had suggested that there was an urgent need to address the economic situation in the rural areas. who have been mandated to take decisions that are aimed at benefiting the agricultural sector in the state. Mr Vaghela had said. the Raman Singh Cabinet has approved the creation of Chhattisgarh Farmers’ Welfare Commission. The commission will have 40 members. stating that there weren’t any hidden political motives behind the formation of the commission and the basic objective was to take speedy steps towards giving a thrust to the agriculture sector. Agriculture Minister Megha Ram Sahu rebuffed the Congress allegations. had a cost advantage and 75 per cent of their farms were irrigated. "There are power cuts in Gujarat and Maharashtra. He demanded an apology from Mr Vaghela and also Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Pradesh Congress chief Prabha Rau.At the Akola conference. leaves the eastern Vidarbha farmers sell their paddy at a price quite less than its production cost. chew tobacco but after that they go to work in fields but the farmers here in Vidarbha sit idly. only dry land paddy cultivation takes place. (Asian Age 10/9/07) Farmer panel gets Raman Singh’s green signal (20) RAIPUR. Sept. the memorandum lamented. (Asian Age 12/9/07) . The frequent crop failure and collapse of cotton prices. This in turn.very low irrigation facilities. Central government announces MSP based on the productivity in water-rich states of Punjab and Haryana. "While flying to Akola [in a helicopter]. unlike the situation in Maharashtra. (Indian Express 10/9/07) Vidarbha protest over remarks (20) Nagpur. 11: The comment of Union textile minister Shankarsinh Vaghela that Vidarbha farmers are lazy and the even more insulting comment of Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh that Vidarbha cotton farmers are dishonest has resulted in protests in parts of rural Vidarbha. despite being home to huge mineral wealth. the Government should introduce modern methods of cultivation and develop irrigation resources in tribal areas. suicidal cotton growers of Vidharbha "lazy and incompetent". The report. huge debt and complete failure of civil and social administration in the region are the most common reasons of these farm suicides said Mr Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. which alleged the move to be ‘politically motivated’.” said Karma. "At present our chief minister is not taken seriously because of his known anti-cotton farmer stand. Gujarat farmers were using local seeds. ” he told reporters. health care facilities. Tulsiram Rathod of Waijara. At a meeting with the Congress High Command on Friday. Sonia had met Rane and state Congress chief Prabha Rau separately. Deshmukh called on Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday with the transcript of his controversial speech at Akola and explained to her how a particular sentence had been quoted out of context. Deshmukh’s detractors—a dozen MLAs led by Narayan Rane—however. farmers from Medak to go on fast in Delhi (20) . With this. rubbished these charges and said that when cotton used to be brought to the federation. which claims to be keeping a tab on the situation. According to VJAS president Kishore Tiwari. Tiwari has demanded urgent steps to provide food security. Hemraj Gajbhiye of AdgoanKhaki. Ramesh Kawade of Alipur in Wardha. The nine farmers were identified as Devidas Urfate of Ugawa village. maintained that the CM was not off the hook yet because after meeting Deshmukh. Deshmukh. Sonia “cautioned” Deshmukh against making any public remarks that could wash out the positive results of the PM’s package for Vidarbha and “damage” the party politically. He said that thousands of people would participate in a march on October 2 to protest against the anti-farmer policy of the government. as also his detractors in the Congress. None of the parties are coming out with a solution to redress the hardship of Vidarbha farmers. Santosh Wakudkar of Dhanora (Washim) and Ulhas Rathod of in Devraguda (Chandrapur). The VJS said 821 farmers have committed suicide since January 1 this year in Maharashtra's cotton growing region. “She asked me to be careful. Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJS) president Kishore Tiwari said in a statement. the CM was let off the hook with a mild rebuke. Bhaulal Tahod of Parsoda in Budhana. Piraji Chikne of Tembhi (all Yavatmal district). an NGO said on Friday.Vidarbha remark: Deshmukh let off after a warning from Sonia (20) NEW DELHI. As long as Soniaji has confidence in me. however. all three from Akola district. (Times of India 23/9/07) After 1. Tiwari also alleged that political parties were shedding crocodile tears over the 'insult' of cotton farmers by Union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela and chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Devanand Meshram of Ranji in Gadchiroli. most of whom are victims of poverty. At a cotton traders’ conference at Akola on September 9.840-km padayatra. It had created a political storm with the Opposition parties. The deceased include: Naresh Gomase of Pimpari Ghadge village. launching a frontal attack on him for “insulting” suicide-prone Vidarbha farmers. total waiver of outstanding loans of the farmers in distressed areas and a higher price for cotton. Satish Hagey of Danapur and Bandu Kale of Pilkheda. I will remain the CM. crop loss and mounting debts. SEPTEMBER 14: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh looked set to ride over the latest storm over his controversial remarks purportedly questioning the honesty of Vidarbha’s cotton farmers. the CM was reported to have said that Vidarbha farmers sprinkled water or put stones in their cotton bales (to increase weight) when they brought it to traders for sale. said Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS). Also on Gandhi Jayanti day thousands of people are expected to express solidarity with Indian farmers in over 50 cities in the US as well as five cities in India. (Indian Express 15/9/07) Nine farmers commit suicide (20) NAGPUR: Nine farmers from different parts of Vidarbha. It was like an advice. Gajanan Sarule of Kalugoan. Purushottam Meshram of Khairgoan. there is an urgent need for government intervention to bail out millions of farmers living in acute hardship because the wrong agricultural policies of the state and the Central governments had pushed the farmer to the brink. Mohan Rathod of Khamkhed (Buldana). some farmers had done an “experiment” by sprinkling water but it did not benefit either the federation or the farmers. he alleged. Tiwari said. Dnyaneshwar Wasnik of Kapustalni and Ram Wankhede of Sirasgaon-Pandhari in Amravati district. have allegedly committed suicide during the last three days. Chunilal Raut of Goregaon in Gondia. (Times of India 15/9/07) 9 more ryots end life in Vidarbha (20) NAGPUR: Nine more farmer suicides were reported in the last four days. the number of suicides has mounted to 836 this year. including six from Yavatmal district. The transcript also contained Union Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela’s speech purportedly calling Vidarbha farmers lazy. He told his wife that as a farmer he was not respected and despite his sugarcane being dedicated to that mill. Vasant Kumar said. They said Chakali Dasrath committed suicide after his sugarcane was rejected by a mill. "But instead of giving food security to these dying tribal farmers. He was unable to take it. The waiver of interest on loans benefited only the politiciandirectors of cooperative banks. He burnt the remaining crop and hanged himself. the administration asked them to give blood for DNA tests. do not want to give up farming — as the government keeps quoting National Sample Survey Organisation statistics — and have vowed to make farming and farmers “respectable. the first in their village in Medak district.840 km in 54 days. he was turned away. “Why should a farmer be always poor. bonding with their counterparts in Maharashtra. farming. With this. 20-25 sugarcane growers died in Andhra Pradesh alone due to “faulty” policies of the Centre and a low enhancement in the State Administered Price this year. unremunerative prices and lack of insurance. Narayan Reddy and Ramulu. A large number of farmers were kept out of the public distribution system and denied cheap foodgrains. that something is terribly wrong with the policy that gives high prices to foreign farmers and lets domestic farmers suffer for lack of a remunerative price. Vasant Kumar. we saw heterogeneous. village economy. and others like him. because of excess production this season. He. according to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti.. Ramesh Kale of Kalamb. (Times of India 29/9/07) Debt-ridden farmer ends life (20) .722 since the special relief package was announced by the Prime Minister. ecology and environment. to study if the suicides were linked to genetic reasons and not the agrarian crisis. where more than 1. all in Yavatmal district. Govind Reddy. a Zahirabad Farmers Association was formed.000 suicides were reported in last five years. yet he has no respect and is exploited. all aged between 25 and 39.” said D. Tiwari alleged that it was a deliberate attempt to downplay the agrarian crisis created by the policy makers. “Dasrath was turned away from the factory in an insulting manner.NEW DELHI: Shocked at the suicide by a sugarcane grower. “who cannot raise their voice against the government. Eknath Chaware of Washim and Gajanan Wagh of Wardha district were the eight new victims of the agricultural crisis in the region. four fellow farmers reached New Delhi on foot to knock at the doors of the powers that be. the suicide tally has gone up to 1. Cane Development Councils do not come to the aid of distressed farmers as they have politicians and local MLAs on the board. Madhya Pradesh farmers are suffering. Citing Anthropological Survey of India director Dr V R Rao spoke of appointing a study team to find if genetic causes were responsible for the farmers' suicides in Vidarbha. Godaru Pandore of Kundi and Gajanan Middliwar of Kosara. an electrical engineer from the Osmania University." said Tiwari in a press release. They covered 1. several mills stopped crushing before the season was over.” From Friday. The long “padayatra” confirmed their fears — that farmers are in distress everywhere. Vasant Kumar. three of the four Medak farmers will go on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar here. Because of the Centre’s delay in lifting the ban on sugar export.”…… (The Hindu 28/9/07) Eight more Vidarbha farmers end lives (20) NAGPUR: Eight more farmers' suicides were reported from various parts of the region in the last two days. Haryana and Delhi. illiterate and stand with folded hands? He feeds the country. Madhya Pradesh. was upset when journalists in Delhi asked him why as a farmer he was dressed in trousers. participated in the rally. “We left home in distress.” Mr. thousands of tribal farmers participated in a rally demanding food for the distressed farmers at sub-divisional headquarters of Pandharkawada in Yavatmal. thanks to spurious seeds. Santosh Hungane of Amravati. Rajasthan farmers are suffering due to an artificial shortage of urea and black marketing in the fertilizer. Hundreds of tribal farmers from the district. Rajasthan. Mahadev Katolkar and Ganesh Gawande of Akola.” To raise the problems and common grievances of farmers in the country. with which they have an agreement. Tiwari said. According to Samiti president Kishore Tiwari. Maharashtra farmers told us that the Prime Minister’s rehabilitation package for Vidharbha farmers was actually for politicians and officers.” According to him. But en route we found that we were not the only ones [suffering]. not homogenous progress. the samiti president alleged. that there was a “ploy to finish farmers. In Haryana. Mr. are not coming forward openly to part with their lands due to the threat from Naxalites. it is reported. 2: Voicing concern over the failure of the Central and state governments to contain the rising number of farmer suicides this year. who gave his land for the construction of a colony for the displaced persons. besides the loan amount of Rs 40. came to light only on Saturday morning. India and other countries marked the day with protests. They explained . Bihar and Kheda. the Indian government has not addressed their core demands. Rs 3. Association for India’s Development (AID).000 acres of land is required to rehabilitate the farmers. farmers are facing Naxal threat for having given consent letters to sell their lands to the Andhra Pradesh Government for the Polavaram project. who has already reached marriageable age. He is also reported to have sold off half of his five acres of land in a bid to raise money with which to support his family.000 from the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society. concerned citizens and social activists marked the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi by gathering in vigils to express their solidarity with India’s long-suffering farmers. not even talking to his neighbours. Oct. The farmers. they alleged. After the incident.700 acres of patta land.000 from private moneylenders. exactly 90 years ago was to highlight the plight of exploited peasants. citizens and social activists in 50 locations in the US. It is also reported that his creditors often used to send officials to his house who would keep hounding him for money. The incident. during 1917-18. despite non-violent action by groups such as the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti.500 acres of forestland would be submerged and 91. (Indian Express 3/10/07) Medak farmers meet Sonia Gandhi (20) NEW DELHI: The padyatri farmers from Medak district in Andhra Pradesh. Though the villagers in this mandal have come forward to sell their lands. Citing the example of Mahatma Gandhi. When Mahatma Gandhi observed satyagraha. Sources say that Borikar had borrowed Rs 30. 22. 50-year-old Laxman Borikar is reported to have incurred debts from various financial organisations and individuals. the British government was compelled to recognise the agrarian crisis of that time and conceded to the demand of cancelling taxes paid by the farmers. the villagers of Satyanarayanapuram refused to sell their lands. Last year. a volunteer movement spearheading the campaign for farmers. Though farmers in these villages had initially opposed the project. met United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi here on Thursday and sought her intervention to have their demands met. "In contrast. and sources say that he had even drawn back into a shell over the past few weeks. which has promised an attractive relief and rehabilitation package. stated the NGO. He is also said to have been overly worried about finding a suitable match for his daughter. daughter and three sons. when the farmer’s son went with to the house in the middle of the fields where his father had stayed overnight. whose first satyagraha movement in Champaran.000 people would be displaced due to the project. It is estimated that 62. they are now volunteering to hand over their lands to the Government.000 from the Vainganga Rural Bank and Rs 7. They have also threatened the farmers with dire consequences if they hand over their lands to the project. who have been opposing the construction of the Polavaram project from the beginning. (Times of India 1/10/07) Activists seek relief for crisis-hit farmers (20) New Delhi. Then the officials focused their attention on Dummugudem mandal in Bhadrachalam division.000 acres of government land and 7. a debt-ridden paddy farmer is reported to have committed suicide by consuming pesticide in Makardhokda village in the district on Friday. so far. some farmers in Charla mandal and Satyanarayanapuram village gave consent letters to the Sub-Collector to sell their lands. whose plight was highlighted in The Hindu on September 28.500 acres. He leaves behind his wife. they have urged the officials not to divulge their names." said activists from AID. However.BHANDARA: In yet another unfortunate incident. (Asian Age 3/10/07) Farmers face Naxal threat for parting with land (20) KHAMMAM. October 2: In 223 villages in Khammam district.000 to be repaid. The website of the ministry of agriculture does not even mention the agrarian crisis and farmer suicides. though willing. the Prime Minister’s package for the Maharashtra farmers ignored many key demands of the farmers and has proved ineffective. Gujarat.The Naxalites gunned down Datla Anjaneya Varma. however. While 32. the district machinery has been able to acquire only 6. he said it was just a coincidence. The six lakh farmers left out of this year’s credit programme have a total outstanding loan of Rs 1. “The farmers had boarded the train for Delhi before the elections were announced to draw the attention of the Centre to their plight. Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chavan met the farmers and discussed their problems. and immediate availability of credit. The 9. it was pointed out by one of the family members that Rajput farmers would rarely report a suicide for fear of loss of honour. Earlier. Even now. OCTOBER 13: Even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh meets various secretaries on Monday to finalise the proposals to be sent to the Centre in response to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s call for changes in the relief package for Vidarbha farmers. Ms. Mr.” he said at a press conference. led by D.” Further.000 crore. “Still. Social activist Bharat Jhala got the information. Mr. the scene that has emerged from this information is very frightening. This is precisely what the CM would .” he said in a bid to dispel the presumption that the move was “politically motivated. the only way before the state government is to give another interest waiver and make the farmers eligible for fresh loans in the coming rabi and next kharif season. Jhala also secured data on accidental deaths of farmers. the state would be thinking of ways to bring back the six lakh farmers who were omitted from this year’s credit disbursal for defaulting on last year’s loans. The waiver. Gandhi assured them that she would take up their difficulties and demands with the government. “More tragic has been the apathetic and irresponsible attitude of the State government. loan and interest waiver for belowsubsistence level farmers for whom agriculture was the primary source of income. With only four lakh being able to repay their debts. 489 suicides in four years among the farming community are indicative of an ominous trend in the agrarian sector in Gujarat.” Mr. The farmers. According to the farmers. in the presence of relatives of 17 farmers who committed suicide. Given its stated position against loan waiver. He said “6. Mr. Conceding that the announcement of elections would delay provision of relief what with the model code in place. the farmers also approached the National Human Rights Commission. They were also not given new loans this kharif season. since the interest was charged only at 6 pc. Jamnagar (50) and Mehsana (48). secys to work on new ideas (20) NAGPUR. six lakh farmers were left with a debt burden. Asked why the data were being released a day after the Assembly elections were announced. Jhala said the government could at least order an enquiry into the high incidence of suicide and accidental deaths.” That there were many cases of suicide by farmers was admitted by Home Minister Amit Shah himself on the floor of the Assembly. Vasanth Kumar and accompanied by AICC Secretary Sudhakar Reddy. Jhala pointed out. (The Hindu 12/10/07) AGRICULTURE/FARMERS' SUICIDE 489 Gujarat farmers have committed suicide since 2003 (20) NEW DELHI: The Gujarat government has admitted to 489 cases of farmer suicides across the State since 2003. In the capital.055 accidental deaths of farmers are a shockingly high figure and [this] needs to be looked into very seriously. (The Hindu 14/10/07) Vidarbha relief: Deshmukh. information on six districts was not made available. followed by Rajkot (62). would not cost the state government more than Rs 60 crore.to her the distress faced by the farmers of this and other States as witnessed by them during their 1. Their demands included immediate release of Rs.200 crore. Jhala said the information was gathered with difficulty and only on the intervention of the Central Information Commissioner. fertilizers.840 km long padyatra from Medak to New Delhi. including the Rs 800 crore interest. electricity and agricultural implements for rabi crop. The padyatra was undertaken after a fellow sugarcane grower committed suicide in Medak district.000 cr. which has not only failed to compensate these marginal farmers but also tried hard to suppress this information. taking recourse to the Right to Information Act. Their loans were rescheduled bringing down the amount to Rs 2.33 lakh farmers who got fresh loans last year after it was rescheduled and interest waiver ended up with a total loan burden of Rs 2. Junagadh district topped the list with 85 suicides. sought higher Statutory Minimum Price for sugarcane and enhanced minimum support price for paddy. according to him. 5 lakh and a meaningful package for the families of the dead. seeds. if effected. Releasing the data here under the aegis of Act Now for Harmony and Democracy. Patil is on a two-day visit to Vidarbha region. eating and sleeping on the roads (without causing any major traffic disruptions). He was at one of the biggest non-violent marches organised in recent times — 25. Dhaulpur.000. (Indian Express 14/10/07) President concerned over farmers’ suicides (20) Amravati:: President Pratibha Patil said on Saturday that the spate of suicide by farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra is unfortunate and a matter of great concern. Another idea is for the Government to bear the management cost that the firms would be required to incur for coming to Vidarbha and buying the produce. The Ekta Parishad. industries or wildlife parks. There are some who have been driven out of the land they tilled for generations. She arrived in Amravati. Agra and Mathura. “This will help get the land reform agenda back on to the table. They are outside the purview of any rehabilitation policy as they do not have the documents to claim their rights over the land they have tilled for generations. “The administration has to understand that there are many here who could be future naxalites. Using the new Warehousing Act passed by the Centre to good effect in the state could be another idea to be discussed at the meeting. S K Goel. Patil said that farmers’ suicides do not resolve their problems but put the rest of the family members into more difficulty. They are tribals. has been planning it for the last three years. on Saturday. while Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil were prominent among those present on the occasion.” he said.” said Rajagopal. Its leader.000 people walking along National Highway 3 from Gwalior to Delhi since October 2. “We have organised a march with 12. which has organised the march. But the local MLA led him to a crowd of 25. starting at Gwalior. who promised that she would speak to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and that the Centre would do some thinking on the land reforms issue. Above all. or marginal farmers who have been displaced as a result of mining. Also on the agenda could be incentives for the textile and other firms roped in to draw up contracts with farmers in the region. had suggested a conditional total loan waiver for farmers willing to take up organic and contract farming. The suggestion had been appreciated by the PM as “laudable”. which officially is forest land. in his presentation before the Prime Minister in Mumbai this August. They will walk through Balabhgarh and Faridabad to reach Delhi on October 28. Estimates show that development projects undertaken post-independence have displaced over 20 million people. Bihar Governor R S Gavai presided over the felicitation. The main demand is for setting up a National Land Reforms Commission and a new land reforms policy. (Indian Express 14/10/07) 25. a group of leaders including Rajagopal and Aruna Roy met Sonia Gandhi. The Act provides for allowing the farmers to keep their produce in the godowns. Co-operatives. Khurshid sheepishly commented on the “other side of India” that he was seeing. is best known for his work with the peaceful surrender of Chambal dacoits in the ‘70s. Yesterday. “It’s either violence or silence. But some in the Government did not find it “practical” as it might attract dissent from farmers who won’t agree to the conditions. “beyond nuclear power and super-speciality hospitals”.000 people walking for the last 14 days. of which 40 per cent are Adivasis. Former Amravati Divisional Commissioner and Principal Secretary. There are Dalits who have been systematically kept out of tenancy rights. This is definitely one of the largest congregations of its type. it is a logistical wonder: 25. going through Morena. They have to be heard if they are saying something in a peaceful manner.000 people for .” he added. OCTOBER 16: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid was in Mathura to inaugurate a slimming centre. P V Rajagopal. her home town.have to finally decide on this Monday. The President said she had discussed the issue of farmers’ suicides with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and state authorities and suggested a few measures for effective implementation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s financial package to bail out the farmers and curb the suicidal tendencies. who normally do not have two square meals a day. We have received tremendous support from farmers and even schoolchildren. By producing the godown receipt.000 farmers on a non-violent march (20) NEW DELHI. they would be able to get loans from banks at nominal interest rates against a pledge to sustain themselves till they could actually decide to sell off their produce when the markets offer best price. At a felicitation function organised by the Congress-ruled Amravati Municipal Corporation. The idea is to waive off all their outstanding loans in three years at the rate of one-third each year if they adopt organic or contract farming. facilities for improved breeding. Significantly. Vyas at the Kumarappa Institute of Gram Swaraj (KIGS) here recently brought to light the grim . general secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)." said AIKS general secretary Atul Kumar Anjan. The World Bank has also approved the proposal to set up a nodal facility to boost animal husbandry products like meat. In all. and Scarabeli and some co-workers have come here to study the dynamics of this march. shared the dais along with leaders like CPI general secretary A. (Indian Express 2/11/07) Farmers forced to work as daily wagers (20) JAIPUR: Unsustainable agricultural practices and growing costs of farm inputs are forcing a large number of small and marginal farmers in Rajasthan to work as daily wage earners. poultry and eggs for export. So. feeding and management of meat products are too inadequate. ……… (Indian Express 17/10/07) Left attacks UPA on farmers’ issues (20) New Delhi. The farmers are pressing for the implementation for their 14-point charter of demands to the Centre and have been organising similar protests at the village.P. as part of the new project. Tamil Nadu. a poultry farmer sitting in Vidharbha can get a text message on prevailing market rates in Nashik before he sells his products.000 each. Bardhan. Each is further divided into sub-groups of 1. There is also a move to start poultry dressing units and an organised slaughter house. Mahanadi. Andhra Pradesh. it is pointed out.the landless in Brazil.B. We are also looking at other players in the market apart from the established ones to take up contract farming. D. Yerrannaidu. Rajasthan. Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Commissioner.5 million landless in Brazil. Each group and sub-group has a trained leader.” said Vanderly Scarabeli. Oct.P. The participants have been divided into five groups: Narmada. In terms of logistics. the Parishad trained 1.352 leaders to ensure that the march is held according to Gandhian principles: no eating. "This government is anti-farmer and has done nothing for their improvement. which is a UPA ally. Kerala and Andhra Pradesh march from the Ramlila Ground and culminating at the Parliament Street. At present. “What we are aiming at is a more organised network to increase private sector investment in agri business and promote entrepreneurs who can set up such units.” he added. November 1: Now. CPI(M)’s Nilotpal Basu. The animal husbandry department has launched a pilot project to set up a market development cell to promote exports and improve market access for farmers. We have sent a 14-point charter of demands to the Prime Minister and have asked him to take quick action on it. Orissa and Tamil Nadu have been selected for a World Bank-aided Multi State Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP) to develop competitive marketing systems and empower farmers by giving them better access to markets. There are 4. S. block. it would teach event managers a thing or two. including Pune. and then down to 25. Tripathi. Rajasthan. district and state levels before coming to the national capital. Marketing of meat and eggs is still in the unorganised sector and infrastructure for supply of essential inputs. (Asian Age 31/10/07) World Bank to link Maha farmers to market (20) Pune. The rally organised by the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) saw thousands of farmers from different states like Uttar Pradesh. Puducherry. Maharashtra. The children of those living on income from agriculture alone till now have abandoned their land in the absence of water and prohibitive input costs. Cauvery.” said Ashish Sharma. UNPA leaders like Samajwadi Party M. Ramgopal Yadav and Telugu Desam Party MP K. who works for the Brazilian movement for the landless called MST. “We have tied up with MITCON consultancy services to study the market. Tonk and Sikar districts with a group of experts led by noted economist V. MP and national general secretary of the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Gurudas Dasgupta. Chambal and Ganga of 5.000. Maharashtra. An interaction with small and marginal farmers from Jaipur. Bihar. If this is not done we will intensify our agitation. drinking or straying from their rows while the march is on. said Sharma. there is no centralised facility in the state to grade the eggs that are required for exports. 30: The Left and the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) came together on a common platform attacking the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government on farmers’ issues in a rally organised by the All-India Kisan Sabha on Tuesday. egg-grading units will be set up at five places in Western Maharashtra. the farmers pointed out. From two crop seasons. said he preferred manual labour to farming.1. Yet most of the farmers complained of the menace from stray cattle and the wild animal. (The Hindu 10/11/07) Another farmer ends life in Pauni (20) PAUNI: Rajvilas Janabandhu (32). Obviously Bairwa cannot convince his sons as he earns a meagre Rs. Karnataka.” said Prof. sister and a brother (Times of India 12/11/07 Nearly 1. Many of the farmers expressed their willingness to go back to traditional agricultural practices but felt supporting even a pair of bullocks would be a challenge these days in the wake of shrinking grazing land in villages. there is no margin in agriculture any more. Amid gloom there were success stories as well. Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. While the suicides occurred in many States. The small and marginal farmers have no voice. said the small farmers were not aware of many of the facilities offered to them by the Government agencies. leapt . Jagdish Pareek. farming has come down to single cropping at most of the places but that too is unviable. Madhya Pradesh (including Chattisgarh) and Kerala.000 Indian farmers committed suicide in nine years from 1997 to 2005. In 1997. He is survived by his mother. which was that State’s worst year. Bluebull. This means that farm suicides occurred in these (mainly cash crop) regions with appalling intensity. who was recently jailed in connection with the Gujjar agitation for Scheduled Tribe status. nearly two-thirds of such deaths were concentrated in five States where just a third of the country’s population lives. which fetch them Rs. That is. he has been growing cabbages in 50 per cent of the area and tomatoes in the remaining. Andhra Pradesh. “Don’t let inferiority complex affect you mind. Vyas and Awadh Prasad.crisis on the farm front. By 2005. these States might be termed the “Suicide SEZ” or “Special Elimination Zone” for farmers this past decade. Most of the able-bodied young men in Tonk district now go for loading sand into trucks from the dry bed of the Banas river.” he told the farmers. Prof.000 he had taken from Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society and a self-help group. “But for the fodder. Maharashtra. Indeed. Owner of 16 bighas of land. “When it comes to farmers. That was mainly because of a decline after 2003. Sources say Janabandhu took the extreme step as he could not repay the loan of over Rs 50. Biharilal of Burhanpura in Sikar district said the depletion of ground water level in the area made farming unviable.5 lakh farm suicides from 1997 to 2005 (20) Nearly 1.000 a year from their one-hectare piece of land after investing almost that much. only Kerala showed no sustained increase in the number of yearly farm suicides over this period. empty tyres hung on trees) the farmers with limited land size too could survive. official data show. these States accounted for 53 per cent.50. or just over half of all farm suicides in the country. They feel daily wage jobs in the capital city. is by far the worst-hit. in less than a decade.” he lamented. it is always the big farmer who gets a hearing. Andhra Pradesh. which comes as profit.10. too. Vyas. His fellow farmers from Dotana village in the tehsil said out of the 100odd families in the village 60 have given up farming. Of these. In Maharashtra. director of KIGS. said even after keeping nightlong vigils for many days one night’s absence often resulted in decimation of the whole season’s yield by marauding cattle and Neelgais. in his opening remarks.” said Prabhudayal Bairwa of Chaksu tehsil in Jaipur district. a farmer from Naharwala Dhani in Chaksu in Jaipur district. also the director of KIGS. While suicides by non-farmers went up by 23 per cent in the Big Four States. Talking of best farm practices. in plastic bags. a progressive farmer from Ajitgarh in Sikar. “None of my two grown-up sons is willing to do farming. With the reduction in the number of crops and the absence of common land for grazing the number of cattle. But the rate of increase in farm suicides was far higher than the rate of increase in suicides by non-farmers. it was 64 per cent. the percentage increase in farm suicides were more than double the increase in nonfarm suicides in this period. farm suicides went up by 52 per cent. commonly referred to as Neelgai. Prabhudayal ‘Sevak’. their share of farm suicides. was found dead at his home on Saturday. who is known for producing giant-sized cabbages in his farm. has come down drastically. Bhagirath Gujjar of Niwai tehsil in Tonk district. Suicides as a whole rose nationally in the 1997-2005 period. already disproportionately high. said vertical farming (on raised platforms. The five States are Maharashtra. a Dalit from Pauna Kurd village in Pauni district of Vidarbha region. for which data exists from 1995. Farm suicides there more than trebled from 1083 in 1995 to 3926 in 2005.200 a month are better. that has become one suicide every 30 minutes. Government of India. Maharashtra and Kerala. On average. The Big Four have together seen 89. The committee had recommended a Rs 100-crore fund as a one-time measure of providing long-term bank loans to farmers so that they could repay their debts to moneylenders. These and other grim findings emerge from a comprehensive study of official data on farm suicides by Professor K. RBI Governor. the high-level meeting will look into recommendation of the Radhakrishna Committee which had recommended setting up an Agricultural Development Fund to finance special agricultural development programmes in 100 agriculturally distressed districts. Since 2002. NABARD chairman and Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM to finalise a coordinated approach on agricultural Indebtedness. K.to nearly two-thirds. Ministry of Home Affairs. which looked into the institutional mechanisms required to address distress among farmers. Apart from discussing the report. were identified on the basis of low land productivity and credit to deposit ratios below 40 per cent. the State of Goa which shows a high farmers’ suicide rate (FSR) — that is. In fact. crop insurance and issues related with changing credit cycles adjustable to meet the requirements of weather and crop-cycles. the high-level meeting will take up specific tangible action points for implementation. However. and one every two and a quarter hours in Maharashtra alone. The data analysed by him were drawn from various issues of Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India. However. besides the Big Four. Andhra Pradesh. suicides per 1. It got even worse after 2001. (The Hindu 12/11/07) Rural debt: PM calls meet to rework relief package (20) NEW DELHI.362 farmers’ suicides between 1997 and 2005. Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh). Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have together seen 89. It rose to one farm suicide every 48 minutes in these Big Four States. The 100 districts. Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. is also on the agenda. Agriculture Minister. divides the States into four groups. modifying business correspondent model of rural banks and providing village-level technology touch points linked to Village Knowledge Centres.00. which will include converting Kisan Credit Cards into Smart Cards.000 farmers. the PMO has even advised Finance Minister P Chidambaram to discuss specific points with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to finalise a “coordinated approach” ahead of the high-level meeting. Yet. Also on agenda will be the creation of a Moneylenders Debt Redemption Fund to mitigate the burden of farmers’ indebtedness to moneylenders.000-crore package.102 between 2002 and 2005. the frequency at which farmers are killing themselves in many regions is appalling. The worst of these is Group II which includes. . The period covered by the study is from 1997-2005. On average. In Maharashtra alone. Nagaraj of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS). The meeting could take place within a fortnight. Andhra Pradesh. the frequency at which farmers take their lives in any region smaller than the country — say a single State or group of States — has to be lower. Because the number of suicides in any such region would be less than the total for the country as a whole in any year. or 44. who has studied farmers’ suicides between 1997-2005 based on the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. A massive programme for financial inclusion. This is a publication of the National Crime Records Bureau. which had called for “urgent corrections” over the implementation of Rs 17. NOVEMBER 13: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to make a course correction after the Radhakrishna Committee Report on rural indebtedness criticised the implementation of his package for the 31 farmer suicide-hit districts in Andhra Pradesh. Other issues that the PM wanted to look into were simplification of mortgage procedure for agricultural credit. including the 31 in the original package. The meeting will also discuss instituting a Credit Guarantee Fund/Scheme as recommended by the RBI’s Johl Committee. the Prime Minister has decided to convene a meeting of the Finance Minister. one farmer took his or her life every 53 minutes between 1997 and 2005 in just the States of Maharashtra.362 farmers’ suicides between 1997 and 2005. that was one suicide every three hours. While the PM’s package covered only 31 districts. As a follow up to the report. Karnataka.(Indian Express 14/11/07) One farmer’s suicide every 30 minutes (20) Maharashtra. one Indian farmer committed suicide every 32 minutes between 1997 and 2005. Nagaraj of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS). Of these. “Though we provided seeds to villagers. IGP (Bastar) R K Vij says security forces search the farms and nearby jungles before . notably Maharashtra. November 18: When Madvi Joga steps out of his single-room hutment in the Dornapal Salwa Judum camp to go to his fields every morning.” says Ganga. District Collector (Dantewara) K R Pisda confirms that the total area under cultivation is going down in the region.00.” says Kosa.500 per month. if the NCRB data are valid.” The fear is allpervasive. allegedly for daring to defy the diktat.Goa’s rate is based on tiny absolute numbers. Madhya Pradesh has mostly escaped the media radar as a farm crisis State.” says Professor Nagaraj. after a disastrous five-year period. The number of “non-genuine” cases — those the government does not accept as distress-linked — keeps mounting each month while the “genuine” suicides decline. Karnataka saw as many as 20. It persuaded creditors to accept a one-time settlement of debt in several cases. the rise in non-farmer suicides. Much higher than in many other States. in the Naxal-infested Dantewara and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh’s South Bastar. 8 km from the Dornapal relief camp. it also took some steps towards handling that crisis. But the damage of those earlier years was huge. However. farming can get you killed. “The increase in farm suicides over the nine-year period 1997-2005 is not so high.000 population — and have seen large numbers of farm suicides. Other farmers say they had been promised land equivalent to traditional holdings. have made identification of farmers’ suicides extremely difficult by using indicators that rule out vast numbers from being categorised as such. one in every four suicides in this group was committed using pesticide………. we have to collectively visit the fields and finish work as soon as possible. Again. is more than four times the increase in farmers’ suicides.093 farm suicides in the period. And the State’s 15 per cent increase in non-farmers committing suicide in the 1997-2005 period is five times higher than the rise in farmers’ suicides (3 per cent). In short. family members see him off with a prayer on their lips.” Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh) saw 23. Also. Joga is among 57. Karnataka too records some decline in 2004 and 2005. “Though security is provided to us.588 farm suicides in the 1997-2005 period.770 suicides between 1997 and 2005. Andhra Pradesh was the first State after the 2004 polls to appoint a commission to go into the agrarian crisis. here too. For. the Naxal threat has forced them to restrict activities. Andhra Pradesh has begun to mimic Maharashtra in one unhappy aspect. the promise of incentives for those who continue farming is still to be kept. There are other problems too. “Even that has not been kept. The campaign is a government-backed effort which was launched in 2005 by tribals in the Bastar region against Naxal extremism. The government promised to make one person from each family a Special Police Officer. Ever since Naxalites banned agricultural activity by farmers living in the Salwa Judum relief camps. Andhra Pradesh shows some decline in 2005.000 tribals from some 640 villages in 23 relief camps set up by the state government for those who fled their homes after the Naxal retaliation against the Salwa Judum campaign. at 48 per cent. but the absolute numbers have been very high for a long period.” says Madvi Rama. eight farmers were killed here. While the police have extended security. earning Rs 1. Madvi Kosa.5. at 11 per cent. though this has not been so far acknowledged. However. Several States. farm suicides as a percentage of total suicides reached 21. has cultivated just one-fourth of the land. I don’t know anything else than farming to survive. who owns about 20 acres in Boda Guda village. And the government claims the numbers have fallen further in 2006. All Group II States have high general suicide rates (GSR) — suicides per 1. then Andhra Pradesh saw 16. However. (The Hindu 15/11/07) In Chhattisgarh’s Naxal heartland. “But no one from my family has been provided a job. In all. But there is no NCRB data to support this as yet. it is unclear whether the lower numbers for 2004-05 were largely due to policy measures or whether there have been new and creative accounting techniques. Most farmers haven’t been able to sow a single crop. “Madhya Pradesh appears to have long been a problem State for farmers. more than one of every five persons taking his or her life in these States that year was a farmer. During sowing season. Based on the commission’s advice. In Group II States.9 in 2005 against a national average of 15. gun-toting security personnel have been escorting farmers to the fields. It restored compensation for the suicides that had been stopped by the previous regime in 1998. This possibly helped see a decline after the terrible years of 2002-04. One problem with such corruption of data is that it will eventually reflect in and distort future NCRB reports as well. farmers get gunmen as security cover (20) Dantewara. Nidiyam Ganga’s fields fall in ‘hyper-sensitive’ Pomapeda Guda. Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam says more help is on the way. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh recently said that suicides had dropped by 40 per cent. “The Congress has decided to constitute a panel so that the issue of suicides by farmers can be deliberated. a large number of them committing suicide. (The Hindu 20/11/07) Cotton farmers commit suicide (20) NAGPUR: Ten cotton growers have committed suicide in the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra during the last four days.500 crore but loan waiver had to be decided by the Centre. Asked about providing a package to other districts in Vidharbha. however. leader of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan. Bhattal said that her party was ready to lend all kind of support to the Badal government on the issue of suicides by farmers. “The Prime Minister’s package has been found useless and has not served the purpose. The PCC chief claimed that the Parkash Singh Badal government had failed completely in taking concrete steps to resolve the issue of suicides by the farmers in the State. Ms.farmers go to their fields. The claim was rejected outright by the activists and the Opposition alike. told reporters: “The government will have to accept it [the demand] or go. the Congress on Thursday decided to set up a panel to chalk out programmes for solving the prolonged problem hitting the State. led by Divakar Raote. The march. began on November 13 from Mozari village in the Vidharbha region.” said the son of the party supremo Bal Thackeray.442 suicides. where cotton growers faced a crisis. and not this Maharashtra region alone. with a warning by executive president Uddhav Thackeray that the agitation would spread all over the State if the Maharashtra government ignored the plea. The Sena had launched the agitation in Vidharbha. Bhattal said her party would demand a special package for the debt-ridden farmers of the State from United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi during her proposed visit to the State in February next year. 7. Six of the farmers are from Yavatmal district where the largest number of suicides has taken place. Ms. “A proposal will be drafted by the panel soon to be handed over to the Central government for taking remedial measures. about 10 km from the destination. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.” Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal told journalists here. This raises the number of suicides. to 1. two are from Akola and one each from Nagpur and Gondia district. But unfortunately.” he told reporters on the eve of the winter session of the Legislature here. Thackeray. Ms.” Kishore Tiwari. MLC.” she said. (Indian Express 19/11/07) Vidharbha march ends but stir will spread: Sena (20) NAGPUR: A week-long march by Shiv Sena workers demanding that farmers’ debts be written off ended here on Monday. the organisation campaigning for a better deal for the farmers in distress. The Chief Minister said farmers of the State owed cooperative banks and societies about Rs. “The packages given to the six most affected districts in Vidharbha are aimed at preventing debt-ridden farmers from taking the extreme step and that has worked.” The Sena leader said farmers all over the State were debt-ridden and even sugarcane growers in other regions were in trouble. This is not the end but the beginning of our agitation. (The Hindu 22/11/07) Congress plans to set up panel on farmers’ suicides in Punjab (20 Chandigarh: Concerned over the of suicides by farmers in Punjab in the recent years. She said the panel would find out ways and what kind of help can be rendered to the debt-ridden farmers and what best the Centre can do for them. even as the government claimed a major drop in the suicides and the Opposition disrupted the State legislature on the issue. Mr. cases of suicide committed for other reasons are also taken as debt-related. Deshmukh said it involved consideration of four other States. now infamous for suicide by farmers. in their thirties. “Most of these farmers are young.” she said all aspects of the issue would be deliberated by the panel and the role that the State and Central governments could play in the issue will be chalked out.056. Describing the issue as “very serious. Bhattal also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take stringent measures so that the respective . Mr. claimed that the financial assistance and concessions yielded good results and the number of suicides had come down. That could be done by the Union Government. who along with other Sena leaders and legislators joined the march in the morning at Waddham. The calendar year 2006 had registered 1. since January 2007. told The Hindu. 000 only in Vidarbha region. 2007”. Rane told the houses that out the PM's package. Rane submitted district-wise figures of suicide cases. The policy promises to constitute an Inter-Ministerial Committee at the Centre which would work out appropriate plans to operationalise various policy features aimed at rejuvenating agriculture sector.02 crore on check-dams. vermiculture. The four included a tehsildar. In a written reply in the state assembly on Friday. which would be geared towards grooming agricultural graduates as an entrepreneur. While the highest number of cases. Four Suspended: The government on Friday announced suspension of four employees of the revenue department for allowing building of houses on wakf land and which was reserved for cattle grazing at Agashi village in Vasai taluka of Thane district. the policy promises to bring out a code of conduct for contract farming and encourage a farmer-friendly contract farming system.95 crore on distribution of seeds. was unveiled by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in the Parliament on Friday.99 crore was incurred on waiving of interest on crop loan to farmers. 2000.983 crore have been spent on various heads. Rs 4. it underlines it would not alienate the farmers from their land under “any circumstances”. has defined “farmer” in a holistic manner to include not only those who engage in producing primary agricultural produce but also to include agricultural labourers. Denying that there was an alarming rise in suicide cases in the state.80 crore on schemes for generating supplementary income sources for farmers. While Rs 995. Rs 53.State governments take effective steps to strengthen and streamline the public distribution system in states. among others. It further promises to develop centres of excellence in agriculture. claiming that the toll was 485 for this year.15 crore on national horticulture programme and Rs 10. tenants.000 crore) for agriculture sector.900 crore) and Additional Central Assistance (Rs 25. which would replace the National Agriculture Policy. 53. a patwari and a gram sewak. sharecroppers and persons engaged in various farming-related occupations such as sericulture.69 crore was disbursed for irrigation projects. for the first time. would oversee and coordinate the integrated implementation of policy as suggested by the Inter-Ministerial Committee. The other important heads include Rs 22. — PTI '485 farmers committed suicide in '07' (20) NAGPUR: While non-government organisations and farm activists have put the farmers' suicide toll in the current year at around 1. Wardha (37).98 crore on micro-irrigation. On this. the state government has claimed that only 485 farmers have ended their lives from January 1 to October 31 in Maharashtra this year. the policy recognises the role of contract farming as one of the ways to achieve economies of scale for small and marginal farmers. An Agricultural Coordination Committee.750 crore special package and Rs 1. (Indian Express 24/11/07) . under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. revenue minister Narayan Rane stated that the Prime Minister's Rs 3. interestingly was put up by over 60 members of the assembly including leader of the opposition Ramdas Kadam. the policy envisages steps to improve the economic viability of farming by substantially improving the net income of farmers. The action was announced in response to the matter raised during question hour in the state assembly by Madhukar Kukde. Sudhir Mugantiwar and others (Times of India 24/11/07) Farmers’ policy to revive agri sector (20) New Delhi. Rs 824. In view of the proliferation of tiny and economically unviable farm holding. Akola (31) and Buldhana (25) were the worst-hit districts where suicides were reported. were reported from Yavatmal district. In this context. The policy derives primarily from the recommendations of National Commission of Farmers. However. modeled after IITs and IIMs. Rs 20.01 crore on extension service. and several members of the treasury benches. and agro-forestry. a mandal officer. The starred question.075 crore relief announced by the state government were being implemented effectively. Nanded and Jalgaon districts where cotton cultivation is taken up in large areas as cash crop had reported 32 and 30 cases respectively during the period. till date Rs 1. The policy provides greater focus to develop entrepreneurship in the the agricultural sector and emphasises the need for curriculum restructuring in agricultural universities. Rs 50. which comes after the Food Security Mission (worth Rs 4. Amravati (33). The policy. The policy. to enhance the competitiveness of the graduates from these centres. November 23: The Centre on Friday unveiled a “National Policy for Farmers. DECEMBER 17 : Pointing out that the farmers were becoming orphans in their own land by selling their land for special economic zone (SEZ). Raw material for making bricks was also seized by the talathi.” he said. says Kalam (20) pune. UNPA convenor and Telugu Desam Party chief N. they were paid nothing. 2008. Shirsudhe said that permission for these kilns had already been denied by the government and they had stopped operating. children of farmers should be trained in value addition tasks connected with SEZ projects.. However. He said the country was witnessing turbulence as a result of the SEZ implementation. Let us take it forward and give reverence to the human life of farmers from the Magarpatta city project to the whole nation wherever the SEZ is thought of it. “SEZ was essential for the country’s economic growth. (Indian Express 18/12/07) Nationwide stir threat by UNPA on farm issues (20) New Delhi. Recently.” Kalam said at his inaugural speech at national convention on “Independent India-2007: Our achievements. “The independent efforts of 120 farmers from Pune have created Rs 4000 crore Magarpatta city project.” The former president said the country is facing a serious problem of farmers committing suicide in certain parts at a stage when the country’s GDP is growing at the rate of 9 per cent. Though the farmers had demanded compensation for damage. he said. the betel leaf plantation was damaged while orange and banana crops face the danger of drying up due to the high temperature surrounding the kilns. the kilns are still working and damaging oranges and bananas spread over 30 acres of land.” Kalam said. failures and prospects” organised by the World Foundation of Reverence for all Life. “I appreciate the courage and the business acumen of the Pune farmers and their business associates. Pune has set an example on how to make farmers prosperous when mega infrastructure projects are considered. the farmers of village Shirasgaon Kasba in Chandur Bazaar tehsil have threatened to commit mass suicide on December 20 if the authorities concerned do not take immediate action.” Kalam said. adding. The alliance had recently staged a joint rally with the All-India Kisan Sabha in New Delhi and another in Vijayawada in November to press for the problems being faced by farmers. following which permission was refused to these kilns.” Also. Chandrababu Naidu said: "If the government doesn’t respond to the problems being faced by farmers. Dec. addressing a press conference after a seminar on farmers’ issues and challenges. Earlier.Farmers threaten mass suicide (20) AMRAVATI: Affected by damage to orange and banana crops and betel leaf plantations due to brick kilns. but the handling of land acquisition for SEZ has brought many issues into focus. Around 29 affected farmers had given a representation to tehsildar S H Shirsudhe on October 15. “I do not want to see any farmer becoming landless. Dada J P Vaswani said Kalam was “an emeritus president” as he continues to speak on the various issues prevalent in the country despite not being on the constitutional post." He added that alliance has planned a farmers’ dharna in New Delhi during the Budget Session of Parliament and it would also organise rallies in Jaipur on January 21. corporate who helped them to start a role model project in our country. “Farmers should not sell their land for any economic zones or any other activity. “The successful project of Magarpatta City in Pune can be referred to as a model project where the interest of farmers has been protected by giving them equity in the project and training their children for participation in the project execution. There are 7-8 brick kilns near Megha river bank which are damaging nearby farms. “The government and industry should make farmers their partners in the SEZ projects and give equal share holding to farmers in the project cost as per the land ownership.” He said. 18: The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) on Tuesday warned the government that if it did not address the concerns of farmers. (Times of India 15/12/07) Farmers orphans in their own land. Foundation president Bahri B R Malhotra said it was time to introspect the situation of the country that completes 60 years of independence. former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on Sunday urged them not to sell their fertile land for the secured economic zones and become landless. UNPA . despite orders. I know what it means as I come from a farming family.. in Mumbai on February 1 and in Ranchi on February 6 next year. the alliance would launch a nationwide agitation.it is is a solid example the SEZ has to follow. Earlier. we will intensify our agitation in the country to organise the farmers. Increased cost and reduced margins lead farmers to commit suicide. Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala said farmer should be able to decide the price of his produce in a capitalist system. Stating that the increasing social unrest among farmers could create a food security problem." said Mr Singh. "The recent national farmers policy did not get much attention in the media. "There is an increasing variation between the farm and the non-farm sector of the economy. but the government hasn’t done anything. but the government is not worried over the plight of farmers.S. National Farmers Commission) committee report on the condition of farmers. "The farm sector generates maximum employment in the country. one per cent from small farmers and increase the minimum support price to compensate for increases in input costs.chairman and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav asked the Centre to implement the M. Swaminathan (chairman. The leaders demanded that the government should charge three per cent interest from big farmers. but the alliance was committed to taking up the issues with the government. (Asian Age 19/12/07) . Observing that food subsidies had come down drastically in India over the past few years. The benefit of these reforms are not reaching the poor. Mr Chandrababu Naidu said the economic reforms started in 1991 marked the downfall of the country’s agriculture sector." said Mr Mulayam Yadav said. Mr Naidu said the "delivery system" of these subsidies also needed to be corrected. UNPA spokesperson Amar Singh said it was not "fashionable" to talk about farmers’ problems." said Mr Naidu. he said. Expressing concern for the farmers.