Bollywood superstar comes to the aid of farmers

Bollywood film star, Amitabh Bachchan, has settled the debt of farmers in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, amounting to US$560 000 (about R7,8 million).

The agriculture and allied sectors in India contribute about 18% to that country’s GDP, and more than 50% of the population are involved in these sectors.

Farmers in India have suffered many challenges in recent years, ranging from monsoon-related crop damage to increasing fuel costs, and a lack of adequate support from government. These factors have forced many rural workers into debt and extreme poverty.

According to the most recent data released by the Indian government, almost 11 800 farmers across India committed suicide in 2013, which is equivalent to 44 deaths a day.

Bachchan wrote in a recent blog post that he had “taken care” of 1 398 farmers in the state where he was born, by paying off their debt. Regarded as a “national institution” in India, he has starred in more than 200 movies and is the host of the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

In 2016, it was reported that Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, undertook to boost that country’s agriculture sector by doubling farmers’ income by 2022. – Staff reporter

ADOBE STOCK ABOVE: Smallholder farmers in India have been hard hit by adverse weather conditions, rising fuel costs and a lack of support from government, which has forced them into debt and poverty.