Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Karnataka sees dip in farmer suicides in five years

Karnataka sees dip in farmer suicides in five years

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 10, 2015   modified Modified on Jan 10, 2015
-The Times of India

BENGALURU: Farmer suicides have been on the rise in neighbouring Maharashtra and Telangana. But Karnataka appears to be bucking the trend, with the number of cases showing a sharp decline over the past five years.

According to latest data from the state agriculture department, the number of farmers' suicide in Karnataka has declined from 145 in 2009-10 to 50 in 2014. This despite drought and other natural calamities in the state, agricultural officials said.

In the last five years (2009 to 2014), officials said a total of 509 cases of farmers' suicides has been reported in Karnataka. Incidentally, this used to be the annual average suicide figure in the state between 1999 and 2002 following severe successive droughts. The reasons cited for the decline, though, are many and even divergent.

"It could be because of improved focus on farm sector by both state and Centre, better pricing support system, waiver of loans in times of distress and various food security programmes brought out by the Centre,'' said Dr T N Prakash Kammaradi, agricultural economist and chairman of Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission. The decline in farmer suicides, he added, was also partly because the farmers have managed to overcome the perceived threat of globalization and WTO which had taken a heavy toll on their self-belief.

Dr G K Veeresh, who headed a seven-member expert committee to study farmers' suicides in 2002, however, had a different viewpoint. He said the decline is largely because the police have stopped filing false cases discouraging farmers from relating every suicide case in rural areas due to agrarian crisis with an eye on the compensation being offered by the state government in the event of such deaths. "My report seems to have had an impact,'' he added. Academicians have a different view on the reason for the decline. "The increased awareness among farmers on agriculture practices and marketing could have led to a decline in suicide cases,'' D P Kumar, vice-chancellor of University of Agriculture Sciences, Bengaluru, said.

But most experts said the suicide of 50 farmers a year due to agrarian crisis in Karnataka is still a cause of concern. "We are devising programmes to create awareness and ensure no farmer resorts to extreme step under any circumstance," Prakash said. What is leading farmers to the extreme step? Agriculture department officials said, "The main reason can be attributed to both natural and manmade factors. While natural factors like uneven rains, drought and floods affect crop yield, manmade factors like pricing policies and inadequate marketing facilities result in post-yield losses.


The Times of India, 9 January, 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Karnataka-sees-dip-in-farmer-suicides-in-five-years/articleshow/45815805.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close