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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | No country for farmers -Yatish Yadav

No country for farmers -Yatish Yadav

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published Published on Jun 28, 2016   modified Modified on Jun 28, 2016
-The New Indian Express

If a government survey report is to be believed, an agricultural household harvests a debt of Rs 3,000 every month, forget about making money to sustain itself. The agricultural household 70th round survey of National Sample Survey Office conducted during July 2012 and June 2013 has revealed that the total income of an agricultural household per month was just Rs 6,426. On the other hand, the total expenditure—including household, assets and expenses on crop production—far exceeded the income at Rs 9,502.

“This shows why farmers are committing suicide,” said Kishor Tiwari, a social activist for farmers in Vidarbha. “The situation is worse in at least 18-19 districts and the farm income is lesser than shown in the survey. Why do you think small and marginal farmers are migrating to cities? If I pick up the survey figures, a farmer is collecting a Rs 36,000 debt every year, and cannot sustain his family. There is a need to increase the farm income.

As per government figures, 116 farmers committed suicide due to agrarian reasons this year till April 2016.

According to the survey, the average monthly consumption expenditure per agricultural household during the agricultural year July 2012 and June 2013 was `6,223 and average monthly expenditure on productive assets used for farm and non-farm business per agricultural household was `1,087. While the average monthly expenditure on crop production by cultivating agricultural household during the same period was Rs 2,192, the total expenditure by a household was `9,502 per month.

The report adds that about 52 per cent of the estimated 90.2 million agricultural households in rural India reported outstanding loans. About 60 per cent of the loans were taken from banks and the government, while another 26 per cent were from agricultural or professional moneylenders.

“Successive governments have kept farmers in this country impoverished,” said Devinder Sharma, an agricultural policy expert.

The report says that nearly 60 per cent of the average monthly income per agricultural household (Rs 6,426) was estimated to have been generated from farm business, including cultivation and farming of animals. Around 32 per cent of the average monthly income per agricultural household was contributed by income from wage or salary employment, and about 8 per cent from other non-farm business.

“A farmer is not earning money from farm produce, but is making money through MNREGA. Small farmers earn from labour work,” said Sharma. “A farmer’s poor condition is the main trigger for suicide as well as migration to big cities. They cannot survive on agriculture, this is the harsh truth. The real crisis is in farming.”

The survey held that about 69 per cent of agricultural households possess less than one hectare of land. Another 17 per cent had land between one hectare to two hectare. Only 0.4 per cent of agricultural households possessed 10 hectare or more land.

The survey was conducted in 4,35,200 households in 529 villages.


The New Indian Express, 26 June, 2016, http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/No-country-for-farmers/2016/06/26/article3500135.ece


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