In 2023, a total of 10,786 individuals involved in the farming sector in India committed suicide, according to a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). This figure comprises 4,690 farmers or cultivators and 6,096 agricultural laborers, accounting for 6.3% of the total suicides in the country that year.

State-wise Analysis

Maharashtra reported the highest number of farm-related suicides, accounting for over 38% of the total with 4,151 deaths. Karnataka followed with 22.5%, registering 2,423 suicides. Other states with a significant number of suicides in the agricultural sector include Andhra Pradesh (925), Madhya Pradesh (777), and Tamil Nadu (631).

Interestingly, Maharashtra and Karnataka saw more suicides among farmers than agricultural laborers, while Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu witnessed the opposite trend. Notably, some states and union territories, including West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Lakshadweep, reported no suicides in the agricultural sector.

Trends and Comparisons

While the overall number of suicides in the farming sector has decreased by over 4% compared to 2022, there's a nuanced trend. In 2022, 11,290 individuals involved in farming operations committed suicide. The NCRB data indicates a decrease in suicides among farmers but a slight increase among agricultural laborers. Specifically, farmer suicides decreased by approximately 10%, while agricultural laborer suicides increased by about 0.20%. Nationally, the number of farmer suicides decreased from 5,957 in 2019 to 4,690 in 2023. However, the number of agricultural laborers committing suicide increased from 4,324 in 2019 to 6,096 in 2023.

Demographics

Of the 4,690 farmers who committed suicide in 2023, 4,553 were men and 137 were women. Among the 6,096 agricultural laborers, 5,433 were men and 663 were women. The NCRB report also highlights that a significant proportion (66.2%) of all suicide victims nationwide had an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh.

Possible Contributing Factors

Several factors contribute to distress among farmers, leading to such extreme measures. These include:

• Dependence on cash crops: Reliance on crops like cotton and sugarcane, which require significant investment in inputs, often forces farmers to depend on moneylenders.
• Crop failure: The failure of crops due to various reasons can lead to substantial financial losses, pushing farmers to take drastic steps.
• Debt burden: Farmers often get trapped in cycles of unmanageable debt due to dependence on informal credit and high-interest loans.
• Market volatility: Price fluctuations in key crops reduce profitability.
• Policy gaps: Inadequate crop insurance, lack of irrigation coverage, and insufficient procurement mechanisms can worsen rural distress.

Farmers' Perspectives

Some farm organizations have criticized the NCRB figures, terming them as "highly depreciated" and not representative of the true crisis. They argue that the NCRB has not recorded the reasons and causes behind farm suicides for the last six years, which contributes to undercounting, as deaths are often recorded under causes other than agricultural distress.

Government Initiatives

The government has implemented several schemes to support farmers, such as easier crop loan facilities, the PM-Kisan income support scheme, and affordable crop insurance. However, many farmers continue to face the brunt of high input costs and disasters.

Declining Suicides in Telangana

In contrast to the national trend, Telangana has seen a significant decline in farmer suicides. Data indicates a 95.84% drop between 2015 and 2023. This decline is attributed to various welfare measures introduced by the government, including the Rythu Bandhu investment support scheme, government procurement of crops, and irrigation expansion projects.