New Delhi: More than 5,000 farmers died by suicide in the country in 2019, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The Union Minister cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in a written response.
Replying to questions raised by Aam Aadmi Party MP Narain Dass Gupta, the Minister said citing NCRB data that 5957 farmers committed suicide in 2019.
"The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs compiles and disseminates information on suicides in its publication titled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ (ADSI). NCRB has published reports up to 2020 which are available on its website. A total number of 10,281 suicides were reported in the country in the farming sector during 2019, which includes 5957 farmers/ cultivators," stated Tomar in a written reply.
As for the reason behind the suicides, the Minister cited the Union Government's study titled “Farmers Suicide in India: Causes and Policy Prescription" conducted by the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru.
He also said that the study which covered 13 states in the country cited frequent crop failure due to vagaries of monsoon, absence of assured water resources, and attack of pests and diseases as the "most important causes" of farmers' distress.
Tomar said that the study has suggested several ways to address the issue such as bringing individual farmers under the ambit of crop insurance, judicious use of available water, government intervention through MSP covering the cost of production, reasonable profit margin, and regulation of informal credit market.
