Question

Give your personal response on the following statement:

How to prevent farmers’ suicide?

Answer 1

1. Support to farmers in distress: It is necessary for farmers to have support systems in place, to help them tide over various crises caused by failed monsoons, crop failure, indebtedness etc.
2. Insurance: Life insurance for distressed farmers and their families as well as crop insurance against crop failure, failure of monsoons, destruction of agricultural produce by locusts or viruses etc. should be provided to farmers.
3. Provision for direct sales from farmers to buyers: Middlemen and agents are known to grab a large share of the profits leaving a meagre sum for especially small and marginal farmers. Removal of the need for the systems of middlemen will be a step towards eliminating such forms of exploitation.
4. Water harvesting: Since water is an essential requirement for farming, and there prevails a repeated pattern of floods and droughts in various parts of the country, effective measures for water harvesting and water management, are necessary. It will help to channelise and use water resources with great discretion.
5. Role of Banks: Banks and Cooperative Credit Societies need to set up their systems in farmer-friendly ways when it comes to the disbursement of loans to farmers and also to encourage a ‘saving’ habit among farmers.
6. Multi-cropping: This would be an alternative to monoculture. There needs to be a strong support system from the government to provide training to farmers as well as supply good quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides at subsidised and affordable rates.