Our Bureau

Hyderabad , June 13

THE Council for Social Development (CSD), in a study, has listed at least a dozen reasons, that forced distressed farmers in Andhra Pradesh to commit suicide.

Failure of financial institutions in reaching the small and marginal farmers, increased exploitative role of private money lenders and traders in agriculture, increased cost of agricultural production and falling price of commodities, diversification of food crops to non-edible crops were some of the major reasons, it said.

Replacing the farm saved seeds with corporate high cost inputs, neglected surface irrigation facilities and failure of agriculture extension services to subsistence crisis, expenditure on life cycle ceremonies, health and education and absence of any social security measures added to the distress of the farmers families, ultimately leading to suicides.

Coming out with these reasons after a two-day National Seminar on Farmer's suicides it organised recently, the CSD focussed on the existing agrarian distress situation in the State. The seminar also discussed the agrarian conditions prevailing in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Punjab and the role of different levels of social partners in preventing the distress suicides among farmers.

In a release on the seminar proceedings, Mr K.S. Bhat, Regional Director of the CSD, said the existing rehabilitative measures for the affected families have to be revised with appropriate measures that would take care of their children's education and health needs of the surviving members.

The strengthening of the agricultural research focussed on viable methods and extension, revival and strengthening of cooperatives in rural areas with sufficient financial support from Reserve Bank of India, health and agricultural insurance schemes and promotion of non-farm employment in drought areas, were some of the recommendations, he said.

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