Plight of the Farming people

In just last two months in the month of October and November 2011, 90 farmers have committed suicide in the state of Andra Pradesh. Since 1997, 250,000 farmers have committed suicide in India.Karnataka state's silk farmers have committed suicides due to the repercussions following change in the government policy.State of Maharashtra also has farmer very high suicide rates. Cotton farmers cannot export cotton due to government ban.These are indication of a failed state-- which is looking at trivial issues and calculating on next elections without making solutions to the needs of the poor people of India.40% of farmers want to discontinue farming, what are other livelihood options that government facilitates? None. Agricultural policy of 2007,which agricultural scientists had proposed to the parliament has not been tabled yet.Implementing retail chain of food procurement has not been popularized because ruling people have changed their minds on it.

Why suicide?Low productivity and returns of agriculture.In some parts of Andra Pradesh farmers get no returns from crops due to drought; and in coastal places cyclones frequently lead to crop failure.Calamities arise due to global climatic change.Credits and loans which farmer is not able to repay due to lack of expected return are the real cause of suicides.Farmers want more technological improvements which they are denied, many times electricity is not provided where irrigation with motors is needed. Mechanisation is opposed.Merging for farmer's holding to make a bigger farm can be done using computerised land records and this possibility is not offered.Prices are determined by the government, and farmers do not have a say in it. Agriculture and marketing go together, the rich aristocrats who have access to market rates become richer at the cost of the poor farmers.The ministers argue that agriculture is subject that the individual state have to legislate, and this will not be dealt with by the central government.But production, procurement, export are subjects of the central government and they are are all essential part of agriculture. Joint work of commerce ministry, finance ministry, and agriculture ministry  in making effective policies can save the farmer.Farmer should get minimum support price.He should be given low interest loans. Change of livelihood should to offered to the farmer.Economic polices directly affect the precarious life of the farmer.For example decontrolling sugar prices affects the farmer.