As many as 899 farmers committed suicide in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra during January to October this year, with 537 of them taking their lives in six months when floods caused massive damage to crops, official data shows.
Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal said the government is seriously addressing the issue and has increased the spending on dedicated schemes and incentives to Rs 1 lakh crore.
The data provided by the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisional commissioner's office shows Marathwada recorded 899 farmer suicides in ten months from January to October this year, including 537 in six months (May 1 to October 31) when rains and floods wreaked havoc.
Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts recorded the highest number of suicides by agriculturists.
District-wise, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar recorded 112 suicides, Jalna- 32, Parbhani- 45, Hingoli-33, Nanded- 90, Beed- 108, Latur- 47 and Dharashiv- 70 in these six months.
The state government has announced a package of nearly Rs 32,000 crore as compensation for the affected farmers in Marathwada, comprising Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Latur, Beed, and Dharashiv districts.
The excess rainfall and floods caused significant collateral damage (recorded up to September 20) with the death of 12 persons, while around 1,300 houses were damaged and 357 animals perished.
Farmer leader and former MP Raju Shetti expressed deep anguish over the suicides, saying unseasonal rain followed by floods and extended monsoon severely damaged fruit orchards and crops.
"This sequence of events has undoubtedly demoralised the farmers in Marathwada", he said. Shetti alleged agriculturists received meagre compensation for the damage to crops.
"A farmer with a banana orchard had finalised a deal with a businessman for nearly 100 tons of crop at a rate of Rs 25,000 per ton. After the floods in the Sina river took away his entire crop, he got a compensation of just Rs 25,000. There are numerous such cases", he claimed.
Minister Jaiswal told PTI that the government is spending approximately Rs 1 lakh crore on farmers' schemes and incentives, exceeding the Rs 23,000 crore annual budget of the agriculture department.
He said the direct financial aid to farmers will increase in the future.
"Long-term solutions are needed as natural calamities of the scale seen in Marathwada can recur. The (proposed) measures include shifting to controlled farming and revising crop patterns that will give assured returns to farmers", he added.
The minister said a dedicated committee has been set up to ensure that the benefits of the loan waiver, when announced, will reach the needy persons.
Meanwhile, a farmer support organisation focused on counselling has appealed to the government to implement a strategic, long-term disaster management plan.
Vinayak Hegana, founder of Shivar Helpline, dedicated to resolving farmers' issues through counselling, urged the government to adopt a strategic, long-term approach to disaster management.
"The government must recognise this pattern of climate change and form a dedicated task force, similar to the one implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. This force should be empowered to address and resolve farmers' issues on an immediate, localised basis," he suggested.
He said the existing parameters of disaster management need to be redefined in Marathwada, and new frameworks must be established.
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