{"id":281988,"date":"2024-02-10T19:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T13:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=281988"},"modified":"2024-02-11T14:28:57","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T08:58:57","slug":"farmers-suicides-in-india-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/farmers-suicides-in-india-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmer’s Suicides In India UPSC- Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Farmer's<\/p>\n

According to the National Crime Reports Bureau (NCRB) report 2022, 11,290 cases of farmer’s suicides were reported in 2022<\/span>. There has been a 3.75% rise<\/span> in the cases of farmer’s suicides, from the 10,881 suicides reported in 2021<\/span>. The situation has been particularly grim in Maharashtra, which accounts for 38% of all suicides in the agricultural community. Farmer’s Suicides In India UPSC<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Farmer's
Source- Indian Express<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Table of Contents<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What are the reasons of farmer suicides in India?<\/a>
\nWhat are the ramifications of increasing Farmer’s Suicide?<\/a>
\nWhat are the government initiatives to reduce farmer suicides in India?<\/a>
\nWhat should be the way Forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What are The Reasons of Farmer Suicides in India?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Debt Trap-<\/strong> Debt trap is a major cause of farmer suicide in India due to crop failure<\/span> and rising indebtedness<\/span>.<\/p>\n

2. Lack of access to formal credit-<\/strong> There is low access to formal credit agricultural credit in India. The easy availability of informal credits, sahukars<\/span> (moneylenders<\/span>) which provide instant loans at very high interest rates of 30% to 40%<\/span>, adds on to the burden of already aggrieved farmers.<\/p>\n

3. Change in Cropping Patterns- <\/strong>There has been change in cropping patterns in the arid regions of the country. For ex-<\/strong> Change in the crop patterns in arid regions of Marathwada and Rayalaseema<\/span> from millets<\/span> (suited for arid regions<\/span>) to cotton and sugarcane<\/span> (unsuitable for arid regions<\/span>).<\/p>\n

4. Unproductivity of agriculture-<\/strong> The increase of input costs<\/span> like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides and lack of commensurate price of final agricultural produce has made the agriculture sector unproductive. For Ex-<\/strong> In the Marathwada region, the production cost of cotton<\/span> ranges between \u20b96,500 and \u20b97,000 per quintal<\/span>, while the current market price hovers around \u20b96,800 which makes it challenging for farmers to break even.<\/p>\n

5. Climate Change-<\/strong> Climate change has led to erratic monsoons<\/span>, shrinking of water resources<\/span> and increased pest attacks incidents<\/span>\u00a0which has made agriculture unproductive and has driven farmers to suicides.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Socio-cultural Issues- <\/strong>Socio-cultural challenges like loans for marriages for fulfilling social obligations<\/span> like dowry<\/span>, spendings on weddings<\/span>, drug abuse\/alcoholic addiction are major reasons for suicides in India.<\/p>\n

7. Lack of access to schemes-<\/strong> Landless agricultural labourers have not been benefitted from income support schemes such as PM Kisan<\/span>.<\/p>\n

8. Mental health-<\/strong> Mental depression due to fear of boycott due to societal pressures<\/span> is also a major reason for suicide in India.<\/p>\n

<\/a>What are The Ramifications of Increasing Farmer’s Suicide?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Failure of ‘Agriculture as an enterprise’-<\/strong> Suicides of farmers lead to a loss of productivity<\/span> in the agricultural sector, affecting overall food production. The increase in farmer’s suicides reflects the failure of our aim of doubling farmer’s income<\/span> by 2022. These factors have led to failure of ‘agriculture as an enterprise<\/span>‘.<\/p>\n

2. Negative Impact on Rural Economic growth-<\/strong> Suicides of farmers trigger an economic ripple effect<\/span> and leads to dampening of economic growth of rural businesses and communities.<\/p>\n

3. Social Consequences- <\/strong>The suicide of a farmer often leaves the family in emotional and financial distress<\/span>, with widows and children bearing the brunt of the aftermath.<\/p>\n

4. Mental Health challenges among the farmers-<\/strong> The pervasive issue of farmer suicides contributes to mental health challenges<\/span> in farming communities. Some farmers resort to substance abuse as a coping mechanism, exacerbating mental health challenges.<\/p>\n

5. Global Trade and Market Dynamics-<\/strong> Changes in Indian agriculture, influenced by farmer suicides, can have repercussions<\/span> on global commodity markets. It is also a blot on India’s dream of becoming a $5 tn dollar economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More- What is Farmer’s Distress Index?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What are The Government Initiatives to Reduce Farmer Suicides in India?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)<\/strong><\/td>\nPMFBY is a crop insurance scheme aimed at providing financial support to farmers<\/span> in the event of crop failure<\/span>, helping to reduce the economic burden on them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)<\/strong><\/td>\nPM-KISAN is a direct income support scheme<\/span> that provides financial assistance to eligible farmers in the form of direct bank transfers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Agricultural debt waiver and debt relief Scheme, 2008 <\/strong><\/td>\nAgricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme in 2008 benefited over 36 million farmers<\/span> at a cost of 65000 crore rupees<\/span> (US$10 billion<\/span>). This spending was aimed at the writing of part of loan principal as well as the interest owed by the farmers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loan Waiver Schemes<\/strong><\/td>\nState governments have occasionally announced loan waiver schemes to alleviate the debt burden on farmers. These schemes aim to provide relief and prevent farmers from falling into a debt trap. For ex-<\/strong> Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh loan waiver schemes<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)<\/strong><\/td>\nNMSA focuses on promoting sustainable agricultural practices<\/span>, improving water-use efficiency, and supporting climate-resilient agriculture.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What Should be The Way Forward?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

1.<\/strong> Financial Support and Debt Relief-\u00a0<\/strong>Explore sustainable and targeted debt relief mechanisms to alleviate the burden of high-interest loans. For ex-<\/strong> Proper Implementation of crop insurance schemes.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Diversification of Agriculture-<\/strong> Promotion of crop diversification to reduce dependency on a few crops (like cotton and sugarcane in arid regions)<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and enhance resilience to market fluctuations and environmental challenges.<\/p>\n

3. Market Reforms-<\/strong> Implement market reforms to ensure fair prices for agricultural produce and reduce the influence of middlemen. For ex-<\/span><\/strong> Strengthen and expand online trading platforms like e-NAM<\/span>.<\/p>\n

4. Mental Health Support-<\/strong> Address the mental health stigma in rural areas and establish mental health support systems for farmers. For ex-<\/strong> Counselling services and awareness programs<\/span>.<\/p>\n

5. Research and Innovation-<\/strong> Invest in agricultural research and innovation to develop new technologies, resilient crop varieties, and sustainable farming practices. For ex-<\/strong> Development of drought resistant GM crops<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More-<\/strong> The Hindu<\/a>
\nUPSC Syllabus-<\/strong> GS 3- Indian Agriculture Challenges<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to the National Crime Reports Bureau (NCRB) report 2022, 11,290 cases of farmer’s suicides were reported in 2022. There has been a 3.75% rise in the cases of farmer’s suicides, from the 10,881 suicides reported in 2021. The situation has been particularly grim in Maharashtra, which accounts for 38% of all suicides in the… Continue reading Farmer’s Suicides In India UPSC- Explained Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10357,"featured_media":282141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-281988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7-pm","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Farmers-Suicides-In-India-UPSC.webp?fit=1280%2C1000&ssl=1","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10357"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}