Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Alarming

The mounting figures of farmers’ suicides are alarming and reflect the complete failure of the administration in the affected States. In a country like India, where more than half the population lives in rural areas, much depends on agriculture. A heart-broken farmer takes his life only when he loses all hopes of overcoming the burden of the rapidly growing interest on the loan he took to sow the seed.

After toiling the whole season, he gets nothing but notices from banks or threats from moneylenders. When there is nothing left to eat, he has no option but to take his life.

Madhvendra Singh Chauhan,

Dhenkanal

Villagers’ ignorance, illiteracy and poverty have been fully exploited by politicians in furtherance of their selfish ends. Many villagers have had to abandon farming for want of adequate inputs, water, and fertilizers.

The high number of 17,000 farmer suicides in one year cannot be viewed lightly. India is predominantly an agricultural country with abundant natural resources. Instead of taking advantage of this situation and formulating suitable measures to improve the agricultural sector, the governments are interested in industrialising agricultural lands. The need of the hour is a lasting solution, not half-hearted attempts.

O.G. Krishnamurthy,

Chennai

That the government is crowing over high economic growth when its farmers are committing suicide driven by poverty, indebtedness and deprivation is a matter of shame. It is continuing with its biased, callous and thoughtless policies which are responsible for the agrarian crisis. The government loses no time in attending to the issues and concerns affecting businessmen and industrialists but it does not show the same alacrity when it comes to problems faced by farmers.

This is perhaps because industrial and business houses donate funds to political parties while the agriculture sector does not. And the farmers have no influential commercial and industrial apex bodies like FICCI and CII to intercede with the government on their behalf. They are left to their fate.

Tarsem Singh,

New Delhi

The government will set a bad precedent by waiving agriculture loans. The whole credit system will be derailed. The honesty of farmers who have repaid their loans despite being in distress will not be rewarded. The government should modernise agriculture and the research wing with proper extension services.

In most cases, farm services and adequate information do not reach farmers. A lot of subsidy exists for drip irrigation and horticulture but there is no information on how to avail it. Only interested parties suck up the allotted money for subsidy.

V.S. Sankaran,

Madurai

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