What will farmer do?

Authored by Jaspreet Singh
Green revolution put their steps in Punjab in 1960’s. Machines, tractors and other scientific tools took a special place in farms; advanced seeds and water motors enhanced the honor of Punjab fields. Farmers alone pay the whole expenditure, as government provides no economic help which leads them to face deadly economic crisis. Due to this ceaseless procedure of, farmer suicides get started after 1990. The main reason of destruction in agriculture is the failure of cotton crop in 1989. The deadly reason of farmer suicide is debt while occupational or other reasons covers only 25%.
Till 2006, Punjab government doesn't agree for this problem. But as the problem was becoming more serious, then government has also to bow on its knees. Thus, a responsibility was given to state’s three universities GNDU Amritsar, PAU Ludhiana and Punjabi University, Patiala for providing a report of total number of farmer suicides.
After getting the whole information of Punjab, the authorities will come to know, from 2000-2010, 7943 farmers commit suicides. In this 4000 are farmers and 3000 are farm labours. The highest number of suicides was committed in Bathinda and Sangrur. Chief reason for suicides is continuous destruction of crops or doesn't get the actual profit from markets. Like in these years there was an increase price rate of wheat is just of Rs. 50 but on the other hand, there is no increase in rice crop.
Small and labour farmers are the ones who actually commit suicides. These below written surveys provide some number of facts:
795 farmers = 43% = 2.5 acres
922 farmers = 39% = 2.5 to 5 acres
299 farmers = 15% = 5 to 10 acres
57 farmers = 4% = 10 and more acres.
Before this, government’s official record shows only 132 number of farmer suicides.
It is really shocking to see the increased number of division of joint families into nuclear families. It increases the number of small farmers in India but the number gets decreased in Punjab. Bhakhra River was constructed for the prosperity of Punjab, but now it become the river of sadness and mourns. A screen is constructed to stop the dead bodies drowned in river as some of the bodies submerged in the rivers of Haryana. Some were eaten by dogs, which show the disrespect of dead bodies in highly cultured country. Some relatives got the dead bodies of their family members and they take back the dead body with a heavy heart.
Village Chottiya from Lehra Tehsil of Sangrur district has the highest number of farmer suicide cases. In 10 years, 64 farmers from this village commit suicides, whereas the houses are well furnished, shows the richness but that is totally fake.
The problem of drugs is also very deep rooted because many of times farmers lost his main motto of life due to such kind of frustrations. To get rid of this entire he depends on drugs but after a certain time, when he has no money. As it is a temporary source of happiness; he again get frustrated and then only one option of suicide is left for him.
The family members of disturbed farmers only wait for the government help. According to acquired information, till now 3000 families are waiting for the help. Lakhs of families leave agriculture from last 15-20 years becomes the reason of inclination of farming. According to statistics of farm fields are:
-4 lakh, 77 thousand acres
-13 lakh tube wells
-6 lakh, 23 thousand thesaurus
-And 13 thousand wheat separating machines.
It is interesting to see that the number is much higher than any other state of India. But the real picture of debt is beneath which becomes the real issue of sadness.
Wheat-Rice is the main two crops of Punjab and off this there are only 30% small labour. Because of that only 7% get the benefit of subsidies. Punjab's farmer are under the debt of Rs. 35000 crore. In this 40% are taken from ‘Arhtiyas’ of village. Change in weather, less rain and no insurance of crops also increases the problems.
In 2015, between the two months of September and October in Bathinda, 15 cases of suicides came into existence. White fly and substandard quality of fertilizers also make the farmers unemployed. Cheques of Rs 10-10, 11-11 show how government makes the mockery of the farmers. In the year of 2015, Demand for the resignation of Agriculture minister of Punjab was raised for all this failure and scam, but sadly no hard step was taken by the government. According to newspapers and other media UPA government has sent Rs 1700 crore in the year of 2008-2015 for the purchase of good quality fertilizers but they get webbed in corruption. In Sangrur district, from last 6 years 1136 farmers commit suicides.
Thus this problems remains continue and ‘Bread Basket’ state waiting for a morning for again becoming the ‘Golden Sparrow’.
(Translated by Deepali Arora, Ludhiana)