Lok Sabha Question No. 3801 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-09
Subject: Suicide by Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: M. B. RAJESH, KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE, (ADV.) JOICE GEORGE, CH. MALLA REDDY, P. KARUNAKARAN, ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT, K. GOPAL, SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI, PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU, SAKSHI SWAMI MAHARAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3801

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 TH   AUGUST, 2016

## SUICIDE BY FARMERS

3801.      SHRI  M.B. RAJESH: SHRI  KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE: ADV.  JOICE GEORGE: SHRI  CH. MALLA REDDY: SHRI  P. KARUNAKARAN: SHRI  ARVIND SAWANT: DR.  K. GOPAL: SHRI  SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI: SHRI  P.K. BIJU: DR. SWAMI SAKSHIJI  MAHARAJ:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the suicide rate of the farmers throughout the world is reportedly higher than that of persons engaged in the non-farming professions/activities;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the Government to prevent the farmers from committing suicide in the country;
- (c) whether there are reports of laxity  in  providing  compensation to the farmers who  loss their  crops  in  various  parts  of  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  corrective measures taken by the Government thereon;
- (d) whether the profession of farming has become costlier due to rampant increase in the cost of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and various farm inputs in the country and if so, the details thereof along with the impact of rising cost of production on the agriculture sector; and
- (e) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to address the problems of farmers and make the farming activities a viable profession and the outcome thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

(a) to (e): The  NCRB  under  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs,  Govt.  of  India,  compiles  and disseminates information on suicides, including profile of suicide victims classified according to profession, in its publication titled 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India' every calendar year. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) does not compile data relating to the suicide by farmers throughout the world.

These Reports on suicides upto 2014, are available at its website. The Report for the year 2015 has not been published yet.  As per ADSI Reports for the years 2013 and 2014, the total number of suicide in the country was 1,34,799 and 1,31,666 in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The total  number  of  suicides  of  farmers  and  agricultural  labourers  due  to  various  reasons  in  the country was 11,772 and 12,360 respectively

Agriculture, including agricultural indebtedness, being a State subject, the State Governments take appropriate measures for development of agriculture in the State. However, Government of India supplements the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support.

Disbursement of relief to the farmers who lose their crops in various parts of the country is implemented by the State Governments.  For such purposes, the States have been made available funds under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). While SDRF ensures ready availability of funds with the States for taking immediate measures in the wake of natural calamities, assistance from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is, over and above SDRF,  for  natural  calamities  of  severe  nature  and  is  considered  on  the  basis  of memorandum  received  from  the  State  Governments  in  accordance  with  established procedure  keeping  in  view  the  laid  items  and  norms  of  expenditure  for  assistance  from NDRF/SDRF.  The  assistance  from  SDRF  and  NDRF  is  in  the  form  of  relief  and  not compensation.  Distribution of relief in the ground rests with the State Government.

The strategy of the Government is to focus on farmers' welfare by making farming viable. Farm  viability  is  possible,  when  cost  of  cultivation  is  reduced,  yields  per  unit  of  farm  are increased and farmers get remunerative prices on their produce.  The Department has been implementing various schemes to meet this objective, viz.

(i) Soil  Health  Card  (SHC)  scheme  by  which  the  farmers  can  know  the  major  and  minor nutrients available in their soils which will ensure judicious use of fertiliser application and thus save money of farmers. The balanced use of fertiliser will also enhance productivity and ensure higher returns to the farmers.

(ii) Neem Coated Urea is being promoted to regulate urea use, enhance its availability to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizer application. The entire quantity of domestically manufactured urea is  now neem coated. From the current year (i.e. 2016), the urea that is imported would also be neem coated.

(iii) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is being implemented with a view to promote organic farming in  the  country.    This  will  improve  soil  health  and  organic  matter  content  and increase net income of the farmer so as to realise premium prices.

(iv) The  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana  (PMKSY)  is  being  implemented  to  expand cultivated  area  with  assured  irrigation,  reduce  wastage  of  water  and  improve  water  use efficiency.

(v) National Agriculture Market scheme (e-NAM) was approved on 1.7.2015  with a budget allocation  of  Rs.  200  crore  to  be  implemented  during  2015-16  to  2017-18.    The  releases  of grants under the scheme are  made  on the basis of completion of 3 reform pre-requisites i.e. Single  Trading  License,  Single  License  Fee  and  Creation  of  e-Platform  for  Trading.    The scheme was launched on 14.04.2016 in 8 States viz. Gujarat, Telengana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand covering 21 markets.  As of now 23 markets have been  integrated.

(vi) Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY)  is  being  implemented  from  Kharif  2016 season. PMFBY has addressed all the shortcomings in the earlier schemes and is available to the farmers at very low rates of premium. This scheme would provide insurance cover for all stages of the crop cycle including post-harvest risks in specified instances.

(vii)    The  Government  provides  interest  subvention  of  3%  on  short-term  crop  loans  up  to Rs.3.00 lakh.  Presently, loan is available to farmers at an interest rate of 7% per annum, which gets reduced to 4% on prompt repayment.  Further, under Interest Subvention Scheme 201516,  in  order  to  provide  relief  to  the  farmers  on  occurrence  of  natural  calamities,  the  interest subvention of 2% shall continue to be available to banks for the first year on the restructured amount. The benchmark for initiating relief measures by banks has also been reduced to 33% crop loss, in line with the National Disaster Management Framework.

(viii)      In  addition, the Government is implementing several Centrally Sponsored Schemes viz. National  Food  Security  Mission  (NFSM);  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture (MIDH); National Mission on Oilseeds & Oil Palm (NMOOP); National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture  (NMSA);  National  Mission  on  Agricultural  Extension  &  Technology  (NMAET)  and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

The  Government  fixes  Minimum  Support  Prices  (MSP)  of  various  crops  considering  a number of factors which also include the cost of production.  MSP for all Kharif crops of 2016-17 season  has  been  increased.    Further,  to  incentivise  cultivation  of  pulses  and  oilseeds, Government has announced bonus over and above their respective MSPs.

Further  the  Government  undertakes  procurement  of  wheat  and  paddy  under  its  'MSP operations'.  In  addition,  Government  implements  Market  Intervention  Scheme  (MIS)  for procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities not covered under the Minimum Price Support Scheme on the request of State/UT Government. The MIS is implemented in order to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of bumper crop when the prices tend to fall below the economic level/cost of production.

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