With 5 more Vidarbha farmers’ suicides toll rises to 416

Argriculture growth has drastically declined, Maharashtra Govt. admits
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net 
Bhopal, June 02: Five more farmers of Vidarbha region committed suicides in last 48 hours after the Indian Government announced that Rs.250,000 million is being given to agriculture sector.
    The farmers that committed suicides are: Bhaurao Baliram Padul of Mikh in Yavatmal, Jaideo Radoji Gaekwad of Titawa in Akola, Sandeep Manohar Solkar of Gramgitapur in Akola, Parmeshwar Bhikaji Sabawale of Parwa in Washim and Bandu Rushi Darwade of Gunjewar in Bhandara 
    A Press release of Nagpur-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), said in year 2007 record 416 Vidarbha farmers suicides have been reported (January-70, February-88, March-97, April 95, May-66). The farm suicides in Vidarbha are increasing but administration is official media to mislead the world that Vidarbha farm suicides are on the decline as Maharashtra Government on it's own website http://www.vnss-mission.gov.in/docs/suicide.pdf

 

FARM SUICIDE AND YEAR

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2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007 TILL MAY

SUICIDE IN YEAR

49

105

143

441

560

1427

416

TILL TODAY

 

    In the National Development Council, (NDC), recent meeting Maharashtra Government officially admitted that farmers' suicides from west Vidarbha has shown decline in agriculture growth by record negative 27 per cent. This has dropped down the overall progress growth of Maharashtra, the release said.   
    According to VJAS president Kishor Tiwari there is 250 per cent growth in the population of debt trap farmers i.e from 400,000 in 2006 to now more than one million. The Maharashtra Government failed to give any proposal of foodgrain farming in Vidarbha region to the Indian Government and hence failed to receive any relief in this regard. As such this has resulted in Vidarbha region having more than 90 per cent area likely under non-grain cash crop cultivation. This will create grave economic crisis in the region, Tiwari added.   
    VJAS has demanded that Maharashtra Government should introduce food crop promotional policy in West Vidarbha region as National Farm Policy because of ongoing agrarian crisis is high risk and high cost cotton farming which has created this unusual distress in one million farmers. In west Vidarbha more than 30 per cent area was under cultivation of food crop but in last one decade it has dropped down to 5 per cent creating major problem of food and fodder for farmers, Tiwari informed.   
    He said that cotton farmers of west Vidarbha are opting for more and more cash crop due to high profile marketing and state sponsored promotion of very high cost modern chemical and genetically modified seed farming which may take agriculture to second green revolution but kill million of debt trap farmers. ([email protected])

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