BY SHRUTI AGARWAL
BA LLB
AGRARIAN DISTRESS AND
FARMERS SUICIDES

INTRODUCTION
v Farmers’ suicides are merely a representation of the tip of the iceberg whilst the burgeoning agrarian
crisis is the bigger cause of disquiet.
v The late twentieth century witnessed the increasing number of farmers’ suicides in India which came
to be regarded as the indicator of the growing agrarian crisis in the country-side.
v Farmers’ suicides are merely a representation of the tip of the iceberg whilst the burgeoning agrarian
crisis is the bigger cause of disquiet.
v While suicides have often been described as a global phenomenon, it has been found that people
living in low income countries are more prone to committing suicides.

HOW IMPORTANT
IS AGRICULTURE
TO INDIAN
ECONOMY?
v The previous trend of stagnant agriculture was completely
changed due to the introduction of economic planning since
1950-51, and with special emphasis on agricultural
development, particularly after 1962.
v It generates a considerable surplus for food production.
v There is general agreement on the necessity capital formation.
Since agriculture happens be the largest industry in developing
country like India, it can and must play an important role in
pushing up the rate of capital formation.
v Indian agriculture plays a vital role in internal and external
trade of the country.

AGRARIAN DISTRESS

v Distress is a function of collective factors like economic condition, political dilemma, social
structure and inner psychological conflicts.
v Agrarian distress is as perceived intensity of stress in terms of sense of helplessness,
uncontrollability and unpredictability experienced by farmers as a result of unexpected situations
or events in farming as an occupation as well as their social life.
v Following factors responsible for agrarian distress are:
Ø Ecological factors
Ø Disaster factors
Ø Policy factors
Ø Socio – psychological factors
Ø Economic factors

v Seed Banks: In case there is a prolonged dry spell between rains,
seedlings may wither.
v Extending Irrigation Facilities: Irrigation facilities should be
extended by linking all the rivers in India.
v Revise SEZ Policy: The recommendations of the Swaminathan
Commission should be seriously taken into account in reframing
the SEZs Policy.
v Support Price: According to the Swaminathan Commission,
unless agriculture is made a profitable enterprise, its present crisis
cannot be solved.
REMEDIES FOR
AGRARIAN
DISTRESS

v India’s agrarian crisis at the end of the twentieth century and marking the beginning of the new
century encapsulates the social, economic and political position of agriculturists in which they
remain vulnerable subjects.
v Agrarian crisis is both social and cultural.
v Women who are already marginalized, vulnerable and deprived in patriarchal society are the
victims of the agrarian crisis.
v The structural discrimination within agriculture deprives women from land ownership and claim
to resources.

FARMER SUICIDES

v The suicides by farmers and that too in India can be identified as a distinct case because of two
reasons.
v Vidarbha in Maharashtra continues to record some of the highest numbers of farmers suicides.
v According to the ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ report, compiled by National Crimes
Record Bureau, about 5579 farmers or cultivators had committed suicides in 2020.
v A major cause of the farmers’ suicides in India has been the increasing burden on the farmers due
to inflated prices of agricultural inputs.
v Farmers commit suicides especially when they buried under a large number of loans which adds to
their distress.
v Lack of integration with the direct market leads to the farmers getting exploited by intermediaries
and thus leading to more suicides due to lower income and high debt.

v There are certain misconceptions about the suicides by farmers
engaged in agricultural activities.
v Suicides by farmers have been largely considered as an “Individual”
act as a result of various psychological and personal issues
v Farmers’ suicides have been termed as a “Seasonal Phenomenon”
and thus more often it has been related to the vagaries of the
monsoon and erratic rainfall.
MISCONCEPTION
ABOUT FARMER
SUICIDES

v Some of the steps taken by the Government include the Agricultural debt waiver and debt relief
scheme of 2008 which benefited about 36 million farmers at the same time. Another measure
introduced was 2013 diversify income sources package.
v Schemes like MSP are ineffective since they are majorly confined to procurement of paddy/rice
and wheat.
v Agricultural policies, however, in India, have become less favourable for the farmers themselves
due to lack of their participation or consultations by agricultural specialists.
v Implementing better policies and exercising of power by the government to counter such issues
are a way of battling the increasing number of farmer suicides.

v The suicides are not merely a response to changes in the economic and social world of
agriculturists.
v The oversight and negligence of agricultural issues by the State is compounded by the
invisibilization of agricultural issues by the popular media.
v Thus, farmer suicides still being prevalent, it is imperative that due consideration is provided to
the problems of the farmers by the society.

LEGAL ASPECTS:
FARM LAWS

v Three farm laws were introduced by the Government in 2020.
v The Farmers’ Produce, Trade and Commerce act seeks to give
freedom to farmers to sell beyond the APMC market yards or
mandis.
v The Farmers’ Agreement on Price Assurance Act aims at
giving farmers the right to enter into contract with retailers,
agribusiness firms, wholesalers etc.
v The Essential Commodities Act seeks to remove commodities
like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onions from essential
commodities list and will do away with imposition of stock
holding limits on such items.
WHAT ARE THE
FARM LAWS?

v The farmers fear that the ‘mandi fees’ which they receive will now
be done away with.
v If a corporation violates a contract with a farmer, the new laws
prohibit the farmer from seeking redress in a regular court.
v Farmers' products have been going from one state to another in the
past and the provisions of the new law are only for the benefit of
the corporate and not for the benefit of the farmers.
v The Indian government’s new laws would have been more
acceptable had policymakers shown sensitivity to the need for
antitrust enforcement to level the playing field for the millions of
farmers who would be pitted against a few large firms.
WHAT ARE THE
PROBLEMS
WITH THEM?

v The farm laws again failed to take into consideration the needs of the very group it aimed to
empower.
v The protests itself aimed at agitating against the corporatization of agriculture and thus,
redefined social movements.
v The protests led to a sort of class division in the society.
v This was a movement of the most empowered, land-owning castes.
v Thus, this was a clear indication of how the farm law protests turned into a social movement
which was indicative of the farmers’ sufferings and their vocalization about it.

v Agrarian distress in this era of globalization has manifested
in the suicide of farmers and agricultural labourers.
v Problems of agrarian distress and farmer suicides can be
addressed through bottom-up agrarian reform and the
recognition, granting and consolidation of rights for small-
scale farmers.
v Recognizing inequalities, empowering the farmers requires
the commitment of the Government.
CONCLUSION

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