'Farmer suicides persist in Yavatmal district'

Faremers' suicides in the district were still continuing despite Rs 3,000-crore farm loans lent to farmers by banks during the last one decade, Yavatmal district Collector Sanjay Deshmukh said today.
    
Hence the Government has to study the 'backdrop' and circumstances that are compelling farmers to commit suicides, he said.
    
Nationalised banks and co-operative banks have disbursed a total of Rs 3,000-crore farm loans in the district during the last one decade. "We have lent Rs 740-crore farm loans in 2009-10 fiscal and during the preceding years of the decade, farm loans ranging from Rs 480-crore to Rs 900-crore each year were given to the farmers," he said.
    
The basic reasons for farmer suicides should be studied closely, he added.
    
Sanjay Deshmukh told PTI that 1,708 farmers have reportedly committed suicide in Yavatmal district alone between 2001 and 2009. Of them, 1,173 farmers have committed suicide owing to the debt liabilities while 83 farmers have committed suicide due to crop failure, he added.

According to official sources, Rs 4-crore was due to banks from 1,173 farmers who committed suicide while 58 suicide committed farmers each had taken loans that range from Rs 5,000 or even less. The farmers who had loans below Rs Rs 10,000 were 147 while 460 farmers had taken loans between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 each. The number of farmers who had loans between Rs 25,000 and 40,000 each were 253 while 255 farmers had loans above Rs 50,000 each.
    
The ever growing cost of farming and the low market prices of agriculture produce are stated to be the main cause of the agrarian crisis and the Government should initiate effective measures to bridge this great gap, General Secretary of Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) Ashok Bhutada said.