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Punjab is primarily an agrarian state where majority of the household are dependent on agriculture. Agriculture is major contributer of the State economy with about 21% of GSDP and 36% population of state depend on it. Punjab made the country self-sufficient in food since the Green Revolution.But this of production under effect of Green Revolution decreases the productivity and resources of the region.As a consequence, the economic distress and farmer’s suicide appeared in the state. With time two main resources like land and water have sharply deteriorated overtime. This crisis is causing low productivity, rising cost of production, shrinking income and employment, depleting land holding, mounting indebtness and ecological damage.
The various reasons that contribute to Farmer suicides are :
1.Small Landholdins : Majority of the farmers owns as little as 2 acres of Land. Division of land holdings into smaller parcels leading to uneconomical produce that is not able to sustain the farmer and his family. 2.Mono Crop Culture : With the mono-crop culture of Wheat and Paddy, farming itself is becoming an unviable occupation, due to rising fixed and variable input costs, and low remuneration leading to falling profit margins. Production levels in the state have already touched the saturation point and productivity cannot be increased further by intensive use of inputs as it already led to ecological crisis in terms of depleting water table and increasingly micronutrientdeficient soil. 3.Rapid Increase in Debt : The indebtness results from a mismatch in the cost of production and the support price and the market price.This has largely affected small and marginal farmers and even put strain on large farmers. 4.Repeated Crop failures : A cyclical phenomenon of crop failure due to failure of monsoons, overuse of fertilizers, pesticides,reliance on HVY seeds has lead to decrease in the productivity of land and farmer left with no other option than ending their lives. 5.Exploitation by Arhtiyas : Farmers with no auxiliary source of income except agriculture have to rely on credit to fulfill the significant amount of investment required for farm infrastructure, machinery and quality inputs and also their daily expenses. Farmers have become heavily dependent on commission agents (arhtiyas) because of urgent need and easily availability of loans at any time of the day. Since loans cannot be obtained from formal sources against land obtained on lease, they have to rely on informal sources like arhtiyas. This vicious cycle of taking more costly loans just to carry on cultivation in the hope of turning around their finances and repaying previous loans with high interest pushes farmers in to accepting informal lending at exorbitant rate of interest (18 to 36 per cent) on exploitative conditions like the having to sells their produce only through their lenders. 6.Increase in Cost of Production: Rapid increase in seed,fertilizers,pesticide and fuel forces the farmers to commit suicide.HVY seeds needed for good production are too costly for the small and marginal farmers to buy and in lieu of buying the best led to indebtness. 7.Government program do not reach small farmers: The schemes of debt waiver and relief schemes ,subsidies announced by the government do not reach poor farmers and on the contrary big landlords are benefitted by it. 8.Illiteracy,tradition and Culture: Drug addiction and insurmountable debts rising due to lack of Education and awareness among farmers with small land holdings and also borrow large sums of money to organise ceremonies like weddings and other family functions.With gradual rise in drug addiction, diseases like cancer and AIDS also rising, causing frustration leading to suicide.
The trend can be reversed through active participation of the Government in addressing the real issues of the farmers that are driving them to suicides.Social responsibility also goes a long way to help the farmers.The efforts should be targeted at improving the entire structure of the farmers where in the relief is not given on a drought basis, rather they are taught to overcome their difficulties through their own skills and capabilities.There is also need of some preventive measures like crop insurance,extension services,agriculture credit, contract farming etc.These services need to be strengthend to decrease this menance.
By: Harman Sandhu ProfileResourcesReport error
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