-The Hindu Adilabad: Tribal farmers face same adversities which dog ryots of other regions, yet taking an extreme step is rare among them. For a brief while, Pendur Somu, the Gond Patel of Jodeghat village, seemed lost when he was asked why Adivasi farmers do not resort to suicide when in distress. A smile soon broke out on his face as he grasped the significance of such a question. “Can we repay the...

-Livemint.com The RBI norms towards targeted marginal lending for the small farmer is a structural solution to aid them—unlike bailout packages, which provide only short-term relief In its latest overhaul of priority sector lending rules, the central bank has stipulated that lenders should funnel at least 8% of their credit to small and marginal farmers. While the overall agriculture loan growth has galloped over the past decade, the chart shows why...

-The Hindu "At least 50 deaths of farmers either by suicide or cardiac arrest have been reported and government has done nothing about it." Brown, damaged wheat fields is all one gets to see in Sonepat district of Haryana. In at least six villages The Hindu surveyed, deaths of farmers, either by suicide or cardiac arrest, have occurred following the shock of crop loss due to unseasonal rain. Yet, last week in...

-Livemint.com/ India Ratings Report by India Ratings & Research Non-performing loan ratio of agriculture loan portfolio could double for some banks The asset quality of India’s agricultural credit could be significantly affected by crop damage due to untimely hail and rain in March, according to India Ratings and Research. The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of the agriculture loan portfolio could double for some banks, though the reduction of overall return on average assets...

-The Hindu Everything else can wait but agriculture cannot, said Jawaharlal Nehru. This should have been the talisman for India’s progress. Yet, successive governments have failed to accord agriculture the priority it deserves. The tragic suicide of a farmer during an Aam Aadmi Party rally in New Delhi has brought to the fore the agrarian crisis facing India. Official records reveal that more than 2.96 lakh farmers have ended their lives...