Farmers’ suicides continue unabated

​Chiyedu(Anantapur): Debt ridden farmers are resorting to suicides across the State in general and Anantapur district in particular. Despite government claiming to be pursuing pro-farmer policies, farmers’ suicides are going on unabated.Since 2014 till date nearly 250 farmers committed suicides in Anantapur district alone.

Of the 250 suicides compensation had been paid to only 23 farmers and the 200 odd farmers’ families are yet to receive any compensation from the government. While failure of the government in paying compensation is one issue, the question dogging all the stake holders is, why the suicides are not being halted despite the government claiming to give a hand holding treatment to farmers.

Panic deaths are being triggered due to mounting debts caused by a series of crop failures. The district has a history of failure of monsoon and drought prevailing for the past 15 years. In a span of 15 to 20 years only twice the farmers got a fairly good crop due to good rains and the rest of the years, farmers ended up in debts with crops failing every year and this had its cascading effect on the farmers’ indebtedness either to nationalised banks, or to private money lenders or both. The first suicide was registered at Chiyedu village in Anantapur rural in 1985. During the past two and half years, 218 farmers committed suicide.

However, the government figures state that only 58 suicides were registered. The saddest part is politicalisation of figures and trying to down play the whole tragedy. Giving benefit of doubt a chance, the government should be liberal in its approach as genuine claims by the victims’ families should not become causality to petty party politics. The 200 odd suicides are from 40 mandals in the district.

Failure in paying immediate compensation by the government is also adding to despondency among the farmers families. While the government may dispute with the figures the matter of the fact is that there are genuine farmers who were also deprived of the consolation in the form of compensation.

Farmers recently submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu urging him to formulate a comprehensive agriculture policy that would lift the farmers out of their economic morass and give them some hope. The policy the farmers say should benefit all those in the farm sector, including farm land owners, tenant farmers and agriculture labourers and the deceased families of the farmers.

Farmers are also demanding simplification of compensation payment procedures and the laborious documentation associated with it. As many as 13 documents have to be submitted for processing the compensation payment. They also should not be made to run pillar to post in their hour of grief to get what is due to them.

President of Rural and Environment Development Society (REDS) C Bhanuja speaking to The Hans India feels that there should be an integrated approach towards agriculture and particularly when they are trying to help groundnut farmers who are the worst affected.

Agriculture, horticulture, ATMA, minor irrigation and other allied departments must adopt an integrated approach for addressing farmers' problems. She stated that REDS is creating awareness among farmers against pushing the panic button. She is motivating farmers to live and fight and not leave their families in the lurch by ending their lives.