- India may have achieved tremendous progress on the back of cutting-edge information technology-driven endeavours. The advancements, innovations, inventions, and developments over the last few decades in the country have been no less than spectacular, especially IT-related achievements. Of late, India has started making claims about becoming a developed country by 2047 if the economy grows on envisaged lines. It’s a tall order practically speaking but nothing can be brushed under the carpet as unthinkable if all stakeholders join hands to push ahead with the stated objectives. However, what has not changed much on the ground is that India is still largely an agrarian country where more than 50% of the population is in agriculture.
PC: The Better India
- Despite sustained efforts to wean away most of the populace from the agri-based endeavours dotting the rural landscape into industry/services/manufacturing-based urban dwellings, our overreliance on agriculture hasn’t altered much. Thus, rural and farmer distress is a common phenomenon afflicting the agricultural industry big time resulting in scores of suicides across several states. Look not far from Maharashtra where farmer suicides are rising by the day making the state a blind spot. Think about it, it’s not as if the crisis is unsolvable. As reported, yet another farmer died by suicide in Maharashtra last week. The farmer was an activist in Vidarbha, fighting for irrigation coverage of 14 villages. The report says he was on a 10-day hunger strike last year.
PC: Hindustan Times
- Most worryingly, Maharashtra has been the epcientre of India’s farmer crises. But lessons are never learnt, although the scale of the tragedy and reasons for it have been clear for over a quarter of a century. The statistics are depressing. Between Jan 2015 and March 2019, Maharashtra alone witnessed 12,616 farmer suicides. By 2023, it’s estimated that seven farmers daily were taking their own lives in the state. The greater tragedy is that farmers’ protests and policy wonks remain centred on the triad of MSP, loan waivers, and dizzying numbers of schemes from which those small/medium farmers who most need the govt infra – irrigation to seed to storage – seem to slip out of coverage. Meanwhile, real threats to farmers’ income have multiplied. Let’s dwelve further.
PC: Mongabay-India
- Take irrigation. Just 20% of Maharashtra has irrigation coverage. In other words, 80% of farming is dependent on rain. Prosperous western Maharashtra has canal coverage while Vidarbha, and Marathwada which grow water-intensive produce remain neglected with barely 10-12% coverage. For farmers heavily dependent on rainfed farming, droughts play havoc, while areas with borewells steadily deplete groundwater reserves that erratic rainfall cannot replenish. Further, climate change, water scarcity, rising input costs, deficient monsoons, market volatility, and limited storage facilities have hit all but the top tier of big farmers. None of these are insurmountable challenges. But all govts have on offer are debt waivers. Govts should act wisely.
