The Hindu : Front Page : Farmer suicide a key poll issue

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Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009
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Farmer suicide a key poll issue

Nagesh Prabhu

BANGALORE: With 318 farmers committing suicide this financial year (2008-09) in Karnataka, political parties are likely to frame their poll strategies with a focus on the plethora of problems haunting the agricultural sector if they wish to win the rural vote in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

This is not only an issue that is likely to be addressed in the election manifestos of the major political parties like the Congress, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP; but will also be the poll plank of the smaller parties, like the two Left parties, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Suicide cases are being reported almost every day from across the State. Despite the State Government’s promises for the agricultural sector, the sector recorded a negative growth rate of 5.7 per cent in 2008-09 in Karnataka’s GDP against the national average growth of 2.6 per cent.

The highest number of suicide cases this financial year has been reported from Hassan (47) (district-wise break-up is given in the table), which was represented by the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in the 14th Lok Sabha. A large tract of potato crop was destroyed in the district because of incessant rains during the kharif season.

The State’s agricultural sector has been facing numerous problems. Debt has been the major factor leading to suicide by farmers.

Experts said the serious fluctuations in the south-west monsoon and excess rains in major parts of State causing flash floods in August-September adversely affected the kharif and rabi crops in 2008-09. Fertiliser shortage, fluctuations in the prices of crops, delay in procurement of produce, particularly surgarcane, were the other factors that led to farmers’ suicides.

Further, farmers had sown on 66 lakh hectares of land as against the target of 74.4 lakh hectares during the last kharif season.

The number of suicide cases has seen a decline from 2000-01, when 2,360 farmers ended their lives. As many as 708 cases were reported in 2003-04, 271 in 2004-05, 163 in 2005-06 and 343 in 2006-07, and 340 cases in 2007-08.

Of the 318 cases reported this year, 291 cases have been placed before a committee set up to sanction compensation to the next of the kin of the farmers.

The committee rejected the claims in 137 cases and awarded compensation of Rs. 1 lakh each to the families concerned in 86 cases.

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