Few eye openers......

FARMER SUICIDE IN VARIOUS PARTS OF VIDARBHA

The suicide by the farmer in the state of Maharashtra is increasing at an alarming rate. As per the latest report as many as 1264 cases of suicide is reported from different parts of the state since June 2005 to till date. The most affected areas are the Vidharbha, Amrawati, Yavatmal and Buldhana district of Maharashtra. The given below table shows the number of suicide in the said districts.

The table shows that the Vidharva region is facing with a grim situation. In fact in the last three month in every 8 hours one farmers is committing suicide.
Former Shetkari Sanghatana leader Vijay Jawandhia pointed out that the farmers, and particularly cotton growers, were in huge distress in view of the present agricultural scenario in the region.
One and a half months into the cotton sale season they find that the government support price is too low. "How can they survive when the costs of agriculture inputs are drastically increasing and they are not getting remunerative price," he asked, and said that more farmers are being pushed to the edge in the region.
Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti alleged that the government-sponsored cotton marketing federation had hardly purchased 13 lakh quintals of raw cotton from its 100-odd procurement centres, while the private traders have purchased 68 lakh quintals till December 31.
On the other hand, farmers in the region have produced over 220 lakh raw cotton this year. The private traders are offering at least Rs 100 less for every quintal than the support price announced by the government, he added.
Tiwari reiterated that the cotton growers be given at least Rs 500 per quintal as bonus so that they could cope up with the crisis. Moreover, total waving off of the farmers' debts could help in curbing the suicides.