Mumbai: Maharashtra has recorded 1,307 farmer suicides till the end of June this year, according to official data. This translates to an average of 7 cases every single day in the six-month span, despite a loan waiver declared last year.
The state has recorded only 91 fewer cases than 2017. Last year, 1,398 farmer suicides were reported between January and June. While there has been a marginal dip in cases the total cases, the Marathwada region has seen a rise in these six months compared to last year. The region recorded 477 cases till the end of June compared to 454 cases during the same period last year.
So far this year though, the Vidarbha region, home to CM Devendra Fadnavis continues to report the highest number of farmer suicides. The region has recorded 598 cases till the end of June. However, this is 58 cases lower than the same period last year.
Indeed, the disbursal of crop loans was 40% lower for 2017-18 compared to the previous year. This is because banks could not disburse new loans until the pending payments had been cleared. In April-May this year, the disbursal of crop loans was Rs 1,426 crore lower than last year. In June, Fadnavis wrote to Union finance minister Piyush Goyal asking him to issue a directive to banks to speed up the process.
The pricing of crops has also been a issue. The Centre has now hiked the minimum support price of 14 crops but with the procurement network facing hurdles, Maharshtra’s farmers say they have to wait for months for payments to come through. On July 2, Maharashtra’s farmers were awaiting dues worth Rs 879 crore for crops sold under the old price since February. “Unless the procurement network improves, raising the MSP price carries little meaning,”
says farm activist Vijay Jawandhia.
(Times of India)