Question : SUICIDE BY FARMERS

(a) whether agriculture has become an unviable profession in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(c) whether there has been an increase in the incidence of suicides amongst the farmers due to loss suffered on account of unseasonal rain, hailstorms and inadequate support price for their crops in certain regions of the country including Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh in the recent past;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to make agriculture a viable profession?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

(a) to (e): Agriculture is a State subject under the Constitution. The Government of India is, however, implementing a number of plan schemes and programmes for the benefit of farmers and to make agriculture a viable vocation.
National Policy for Farmers, 2007 aims to improve economic viability of farming by substantially increasing the net income of farmers. Further, the Government of India has taken several steps to revitalize the agriculture sector and improve condition of farming community on sustainable basis by increasing investment, improving farm practices, strengthening rural infrastructure, supporting agricultural extension, facilitating in marketing of agricultural products etc.

Various programmes/schemes for the development of agriculture sector are being implemented in a decentralized manner with flexibility to State Governments to formulate and implement appropriate projects to suit their specific requirements. The focus of Government is primarily to increase farm income, creation of non-farm income opportunities, improvement in productivity of rainfed agriculture, increasing coverage of farming areas under protective irrigation and establishing appropriate backward and forward linkages. Other measures taken by the Government for the benefit of farmers include enhancement in minimum support prices of agricultural commodities, increase in credit flow to agriculture and allied sector, debt waiver/relief, interest subvention on crop loans, revival package for strengthening Short Term Rural Cooperative Credit Structure, etc.

As regards increase in incidence of suicide amongst farmers, the Government has not received any such report from the State Governments except the Government of Maharashtra. The Government of Maharashtra has informed that the number of suicides of farmers in Nashik and Aurangabad Divisions of the State has increased to 77 and 135 respectively during the period from January to April, 2014 as compared to 42 and 54 respectively during the corresponding period of 2010, out of which some suicides may be due to hailstorm.