Lok Sabha Question No. 1422 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-09
Subject: Reasons for Farmer Suicides
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Smt. Supriya Sule

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1422

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## REASONS FOR FARMER SUICIDES

1422.  SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH: SMT. SUPRIYA SULE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष और ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  the  rising  number  of  farmer  suicides  in Maharashtra,  particularly  in  the  Vidarbha  and  Marathwada  regions  during  the  last  five years, and if so, the district-wise details along  with the major reasons identified for these suicides;
- (b) the  details  of  financial  assistance,  livelihood  support,  mental-health  interventions, and counselling  services provided  to  affected  families,  and  whether the  Government  has reviewed the outcomes of these measures in reducing agrarian distress;
- (c) the  new  schemes,  targeted  interventions,  or  special  packages  introduced  for Maharashtra  to  address  structural  farm  issues  such  as  credit  access,  debt  restructuring, crop insurance coverage, MSP procurement, and expansion of irrigation facilities;
- (d) whether the Government has prepared a comprehensive plan to enhance farmers' resilience to climate change, extreme weather, and market fluctuations; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof,  including  technology  adoption,  crop  diversification,  and early-warning systems?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी

(SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) & (b): The  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB)  under  the  Ministry  of  Home Affairs compiles and disseminates information on suicides in its publication titled 'Accidental Deaths  and  Suicides  in  India'  (ADSI).  The  report  till  2022  is  available  on  NCRB  website (https://ncrb.gov.in). Reasons for suicides are wide ranging. Agriculture is a State Subject. Ex gratia or relief is provided by State Governments as per State provisions & rules.

(c):  The  government  is  implementing  Modified  Interest  Subvention  Scheme  (MISS)  to provide  loan  on  concessional  interest  rate  through  Kisan  Credit  Card  (KCC).  Farmers receive KCC loans at a subsidized interest rate of 7%. To facilitate this, an upfront interest subvention of 1.5% is provided to financial institutions. Additionally, farmers who repay their loans promptly receive a 3% Prompt Repayment Incentive, effectively reducing the interest rate to 4% per annum. These benefits are available for loan limits up to Rs. 3 lakhs. As on 30.09.2025,  there  are  69,86,475  operative  KCC  accounts  with  Rs.  86,100  crore  credit extended in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra has been implementing Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana since 2016. In the past 9 years, 1,308.09 lakh farmer applications has been insured with for over 796.88 lakh hectares under the scheme.

Every  year,  Government  fixes  Minimum  Support  Prices  (MSP)  for  22  mandated agricultural crops based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP). Government had increased MSP for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other Commercial crops with a minimum return of 50 percent over all India weighted average cost of  production  from  year  2018-19  onwards.  Benefits  for tenants  and marginalised  farmers excluded  from  institutional  credit  are  extended  as  per  procurement  norms  of  concerned State/UT government.

Pradhan  Mantri  Annadata  Aay  SanraksHan  Abhiyan  (PM-AASHA)  aims  to  ensure remunerative prices for farmers by strengthening the MSP system. Its key objectives are to provide price support for pulses, oilseeds, and copra; reduce distress sales by guaranteeing minimum assured income to farmers; promote procurement, price deficiency payments, and private participation in procurement.

Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation technologies namely Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems.

(d) & (e): Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  is  implementing  a  projectNational  Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA),  that  studies  the  impact  of climate  change  on  agriculture,  conducts  district  level  risk  and  vulnerability  assessment. Under the project, risk and vulnerability assessment of climate change has been carried out at  district-level  for 651  predominantly agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on  Climate  Change  (IPCC)  protocols.  310  districts  were  identified  as  vulnerable  out  of which  109  districts  have  been  categorized  as  'very  high'  and  201  districts  as  'highly' vulnerable.  For  enhancing  the  resilience  and  adaptive  capacity  of  farmers  to  climate variability,  location-specific  climate  resilient  technologies  have  been  demonstrated  under the project through KVKs  in 448  Climate Resilient Villages. Capacity building for establishing village level seed banks and community nurseries is undertaken under NICRA project that enables availability of seeds in the adopted villages. Drought and flood tolerant climate-resilient varieties of rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram, and foxtail  millet  were demonstrated in several NICRA villages. Besides, training programmes are  conducted  under  Agricultural  Technology  Management  Agency  (ATMA)  on  various issues  of  agricultural  practices  including  creation  of  awareness  on  using  quality  seeds among the farmers.

To mitigate the impacts of adverse weather on agriculture, under the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) scheme, medium-range weather forecasts for the next 5 days at the  district  and  block  levels  are  generated  by  Indian  Meteorological  Department(IMD). Based  on  rainfall  and  other  weather  parameters  along  with  weather  forecasts  issued  by IMD,  130  Agromet  Field  Units  prepare  Agromet  Advisories  in  English  as  well  as  in  the regional  language  for  dissemination  through  multiple  channels.  Also,  farmers  access weather information including alerts and related agromet advisories specific to their districts through the mobile App viz., 'Meghdoot' launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences which is available in English and 13 regional languages. These weather details are also accessible to farmers through 'Mausam' App of IMD. The Panchayat-level weather forecast information is accessible through multiple digital platforms, including: eGramSwaraj (https://egramswaraj.gov.in/), 'Gram Manchitra' Application of MoPR (https://grammanchitra.gov.in/gm4MVC),  'Meri  Panchayat'  Mobile  App  and  Mausamgram web portal of IMD (https://mausamgram.imd.gov.in/).

Government of India is also encouraging farmers through state governments to grow crops  such  as  pulses  under  Mission  for  Aatmanirbharta  in  Pulses,  oilseeds  under  the National Mission on Edible Oil-Oilseeds, horticultural crops under the Mission for Integrated Development of horticulture. The Government of India provides flexibility to the states for state  specific  needs/priorities  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  -  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana (PM-RKVY). The states can promote crop diversification under PM-RKVY with the approval of State Level Sanctioning Committee.

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