Farmer Suicides in India

Why in News?

Recently, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released a data on farmer’s suicide in a new analysis of last 28 years.

What does the data reveal?

• 2 important states – Maharashtra and Karnataka have remained the epicentres of farmer suicides in India for more than two decades.
• The suicide rates consistently about 2.5 times the national average since the mid-1990s,
  • Maharashtra – 4,151 farmer suicides
  • Karnataka – 2,423, farmer suicides
• In 2023 alone, these states recorded, these numbers making them the two worst-affected states in the country.
• Major reason – One of the major drivers over the years has been the rapid spread of Bt cotton in the early 2000s, particularly across rain-fed regions, the analysis by independent research organization Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) found.
• The study links the crisis in these states to the failure of Bt cotton to deliver on promises of higher yields and pest resistance.
• Instead, farmers faced sharply rising input costs and greater financial risk.
• Repeated crop failures, combined with the absence of reliable price support, pushed many small and marginal farmers into chronic debt.
• Regional concentration of crisis – Beyond Maharashtra and Karnataka, the data show a clear regional concentration of the crisis.
• Southern and western India together account for around 72.5% of all farmer suicides recorded since 1995.
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana follow closely among the worst-affected states.
• Together, they have reported more than 170,000 farmer suicides over the past 28 years.
• Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, has emerged as a high-crisis state in its own right.
• The cotton-growing districts that became part of Telangana already carried a heavy suicide burden, while coastal Andhra Pradesh districts historically reported lower rates.
• Madhya Pradesh has also consistently ranked among the top contributors to national suicide figures, underlining that the crisis is not confined to a single region.

What are the Peak years of agrarian crisis?

• The period of crisis – At least 394,206 farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide in India, according to NCRB records.
• This amounts to an average of about 13,600 deaths every year.
• The analysis noted that the crisis intensified after India joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995.
• Reduced subsidies and increased agricultural imports weakened farm incomes, particularly for small producers.
• 2000 to 2009 – The most acute phase came between 2000 and 2009, when more than 154,000 suicides were recorded.
• 2002 – The year 2002 stands out as the deadliest, with 17,971 farmer suicides nationwide.
• 2023 – After years of decline, the trend reversed sharply in 2023.
• The country recorded 10,786 farmer suicides, an increase of more than 75% compared with 2022.
• The figures also reveal a significant shift within the rural economy.
• Agricultural labourers now account for a larger share of suicides than cultivators.
• Of the 10,786 deaths recorded in 2023, 6,096 were agricultural labourers, compared with 4,690 cultivators.
• Identified causes – Researchers linked this to a combination of droughts, collapsing crop prices, weak crop insurance, and shrinking access to institutional credit.
• The growing share of suicides among agricultural labourers points to deeper rural distress.
• Effect on labourers – Unlike land-owning farmers, labourers face:
  • Acute wage insecurity,
  • Seasonal unemployment,
  • Rising food prices and
  • Limited social protection,
• Making them especially vulnerable to economic shocks.
• The analysis cautioned, however, that part of the increase in 2023 may reflect delayed reporting during the Covid-19 period, rather than a sudden deterioration in a single year.

How MGNREGA came to rescue?

• Declining of farmers’ suicide – The sharp rise in 2023 contrasts with trends seen over much of the previous decade.
• From around 2010 onwards, farmer suicides declined steadily across several states, reaching their lowest levels between 2015 and 2019.
• Key Intervention – One of the key interventions during this period was the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which provided wage employment during lean agricultural seasons and drought years.
• MGNREGA helped reduce income volatility for small and marginal farmers and agricultural labourers.
• Other measure – Expanded crop insurance coverage and debt relief measures.
• Visible results – Kerala recorded a steep fall in farmer suicides, from 1,118 in 2005 to 105 in 2014.
• West Bengal reported zero farmer suicides by 2012, according to the NCRB data analysed.
• Madhya Pradesh, which had recorded some of the highest numbers during the peak crisis years, also saw sustained reductions during this period.
• Shortcomings – In states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka, suicide numbers have remained persistently high despite welfare interventions, underscoring the limits of short-term relief in the absence of broader agrarian reform.
• In these states rain-fed agriculture and market-linked commercial crops continue to dominate.

Reference

Down To Earth| Farmer’s Suicide