-The Hindu Govt. accused of backtracking on promise of loan waiver Mumbai: Farmers in Maharashtra are using the phrase bure din (bad days) to describe their condition. Akshay Tale last spoke to his close friend Neelesh Walke at around 2.45 p.m. on December 30 last year. Neelesh, who faced a Rs. 2 lakh debt, seemed anxious but showed no signs that he was considering any extreme step. At around 4 p.m., Neelesh, barely 23,...
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'On time' prediction for India's monsoon season -Richard Angwin
-Al Jazeera The country's summer rains are due to start on June 1, but they may still leave some farmers disappointed. India’s monsoon rains, upon which the country relies so heavily, are expected to arrive "on time" according to the country’s Meteorological Department (IMD). The arrival of the summer monsoon is monitored very closely in India. Agriculture accounts for 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and it employs some 60 percent of...
More »Small farmers struggle for survival in Punjab -Sayantan Bera
-Livemint.com How increased mechanization, volatile prices and stressed farm incomes are leading to a consolidation of agricultural land in Punjab Patiala/Sangrur/New Delhi: A farmer selling his farm equipment is a telltale sign of distress. But Maghar Singh doesn’t regret doing it. Six years ago, he sold his tractor, harvester and other equipment, and rented out his 8 acres (3.2 hectares) of land in Patiala in south-eastern Punjab where he used to...
More »300 farmer suicides in Marathwada since January -Mohammed Akhef & Prasad Joshi
-The Times of India AURANGABAD: With the worsening drought situation in the region, farmer suicides continue unabated this year. About 300 farmers have taken their lives since January this year. The highest number (83) of farmer suicides has been reported from Beed district, followed by Nanded with 55 deaths and Osmanabad with 50 cases. Last year, a total of 569 farmers in the region had taken their lives. Osmanabad is one of the...
More »From plate to plough: Padyatras, politics, policies -Ashok Gulati
-The Indian Express Rahul Gandhi will help farmers more if he focuses on how policies are implemented On April 30, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi undertook a padyatra of about 15 km in the Vidarbha region to register his sympathy and concerns for farmers. Vidarbha has been reeling under agrarian distress for many years, and has also been an epicentre of farmer suicides. Cotton being one of the primary crops of this...
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