Farmer woes: Debt, Drought and Despair
There has been an epidemic of suicides of farmers across India's drought-stricken regions over the past few months. The stories behind them are all tragically similar. Debt is the driving force.
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Farmers in distressIndia's drought-stricken regions have seen an epidemic of farmer suicides over the past few months. The stories behind them are all tragically similar. Debt is the driving force.
The death of Mahadev Shetty (seen in this picture), a young farmer in a fertile district like Karnataka, is reflective of the plight of thousands of farmers in a state, which was so far believed to be better equipped to handle the agrarian crisis. (NDTV Photo)
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Farmers in distressMahadev, who drowned himself in the village pond four months ago, had struggled to get his five sisters and a brother married. The burden of debt forced him to take his life, leaving behind a loving wife and two young children. It was his reasons for taking the loan that reflect the plight of thousands of farmers like him. (NDTV Photo) -
Farmers in distressErratic electricity - supplied for only two hours a day in Karnataka - made Mahadev depend only on rains that came too late. Tobacco being a weather-sensitive crop failed, and so the money he got could hardly repay his loans. (NDTV Photo) -
Farmers in distressAnger against politicians is boiling over with farmers complaining that politicians come to them only around election time, and forget them for the next four years until it's time again to renew their promises in poll manifestos. (NDTV Photo) -
Farmers in distressThousands in Yavatmal turned to soyabean, a crop cheaper to sow and faster to harvest. Three years later, they see themselves getting sucked into another vicious cycle. Although it started raining in June-end, the subsequent prolonged dry spell has left Yavatmal district, the epicentre of farmer suicides, in crisis yet again. (AFP Photo) -
Farmers in distressThousands of farmers commit suicide in India every year over failed crops and mounting debts. Government promises have done little to ease the misery of farmers in these districts as they live with the reality of parched fields and mounting debt. (AFP Photo)
