Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Agrarian crisis

This refers to the article “From killing fields to smiling fields” (Oct. 17). The action suggested by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan should be considered seriously to wipe out the agrarian crisis.

It is a fact that the nation is going through the worst crisis in the agriculture sector since independence. The fact that 1.5 lakh farmers committed suicide between 1997 and 2005 bears testimony to this. The article rightly says the government’s focus and attention must shift from suicide relief to suicide prevention.

V.V.K. Suresh,

Chilakaluripet

Even after the Centre sanctioned a huge sum as relief for the distressed farmers of the Vidharbha region, suicides continue unabated.

What is the use of expert committees and packages when the benefits do not reach the farmers and they continue to take their lives?

K.S. Shankar,

New Delhi

We boast of an economic growth of 9 per cent while 1.5 lakh farmers have committed suicide in eight years. That the nation has treated its people engaged in a life-giving profession thus is a matter of shame.

Agricultural policies have ignored ground realities and are devoid of a practical approach, which have resulted in the agrarian crisis. If we want to help our farmers, we will have to make farming a profitable profession.

Chaitanya Sinha,

Hardwar

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