Maharashtra, Karnataka top farmers suicide tally

Maharashtra and Karnataka continued to remain on top of farmers' suicide tally in 2019 even as the latest government data claims that such incidents have marginally decreased.

The year 2019 witnessed 10,281 suicides by farmers and agricultural workers, a decline from 10,349 in 2018 and 10,665 in 2017. There were 11,379 such suicides in 2016.

According to the 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2019' report released by the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), there 5,957 farmers/cultivators and 4,324 agricultural labourers died by suicide last year, accounting for 7.4% of total suicides victims (1,39,123) in the country.

The data showed that the number of farmers who took their own lives have increased in the last year compared to the 2018 figure of 5,763 while the number of agricultural labourers, in this case, has decreased from 4,586.

Out of 5,957, farmer/cultivator suicides, a total of 5,563 were men while 394 were women. Out of 4,324 suicides committed by agricultural labourers, 3,749 were men and 575 were women.

However, these numbers could be higher as West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Lakshadweep and Puducherry have reported zero suicides of farmers as well as agricultural labourers.

Like the last couple of years, this time too the NCRB does not provide reasons for the suicides. The NCRB said this data depicts only the profession of persons who have committed suicide and has no linkage whatsoever to the cause of suicide.

Among the states, Maharashtra has the highest number of farmer and agricultural workers dying by suicide at 3,927, which was an increase from 3,594 reported in 2018. The state had reported 3,701 suicides in 2017 and 3,661 in 2016

Karnataka witnessed a decline in the number of the suicide of people engaged in the agricultural sector. While in 2018, the state witnessed 2,405 suicides, last year saw 1,992 farmers and agricultural labourers taking their own lives. Karnataka had 2,079 such suicides in 2017 and 2,160 in 2016.

At least seven states, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, have more agricultural labourers dying by suicide compared to farmers.

In Gujarat, where 118 people engaged in the farming sector took their own lives, only three were farmers while the rest were agricultural labourers. While in Tamil Nadu, 421 agricultural workers and six farmers took the extreme step. In Kerala, 128 out of 150 suicides were that of agricultural labourers.

Madhya Pradesh had 399 labourers and 142 farmers committing suicide while the figure for Chhattisgarh was 266 and 233 respectively. Haryana reported that not a single farmer died by suicide while 291 agricultural labourers took the extreme step.

All India Kisan Sabha Joint Secretary Vijoo Krishnan said the numbers in the NCRB report did not reflect the actual ground situation.

"These numbers are questionable. Many states have shown zero suicides in the farm sector. In other states, there is under-reporting. We can provide the identity and addresses of such people in these states. Despite repeated demands, the government is not listening to farmers' demand for loan waiver and proper minimum support price," Krishnan told DH.

"Unless the government accepts that there is distress in the agricultural sector, these distress suicides will not stop. There is no acknowledgement of the distress and that is the reason why there is no solution from the government," he said.

On agricultural workers' suicides, Krishnan said the main reason was that there was not enough work for them. Besides, they could not find work through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) while many are not paid on time by those who hire them.