10% drop in farmer suicides, says govt
FARM DATA Maharashtra had most farmer suicides in 2016, at 3,661 NEW DELHI:
India’s high suicide rate among farmers – a national problem attributed to agrarian distress and debt traps – fell 10% in 2016, as per figures revealed by the government in Parliament.
The number of farmers who committed suicide in 2016 was 11,370, compared to 12,602 the previous year. According to the 2011 census, the suicide rate among farmers is 47% higher than the national average. Overall, more land-owning farmers than farm labourers took their lives, minister of state for agriculture Parshottam Rupala said.
Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of farmer suicides in 2016, at 3,661. This was a fall from 4,291 in 2015. In Karnataka, the second-worst-hit state, the number of suicides rose from 1,569 in 2015 to 2,029 the next year.
The National Crime Records compiles data on suicides, including that of farmers. Reports are available up to 2015 and the 2016 report has not been published yet.
“The drop could be because of several interventional policies over the years. But I’d say this decline is only marginal,” said professor AV Manjunatha of the Institute for Social and Economic Chhattisgarh Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Telanganga 755 954 682
768 1,569 2,079
1,198 1,290 1,321 895 606 381
645 1,347 1,400 2014 Change, who authored an all-India study on farm suicides.
Agriculture contributes just 13.7% to India’s GDP but employs two-thirds of its population. This points to ‘disguised employment’ and low productivity.
The data cited showed that Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka continue to be farmer-suicide hotspots 2015 2016 All India total number of farmer suicides accounting for almost 80% of all suicides. “The data is questionable. In many states such as Bengal, there are zero suicides. There is inconsistency. This could be because of under reporting or convenient classification,” said Kavitha Kuruganti of the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture, adding a suicide can get under-reported if attributed to a non-agricultural cause.