Yes. Recently an incident happened at Atmakur village in Anantapur district. There was a 53- year-old farmer in the village. He was a well respected farmer. He cultivated cotton. He expanded the small plot he owned by leasing adjoining land. The money was never abundant, but he managed to arrange matches and festive wedding ceremonies for his two sisters, and then his daughters. His sons were sent to school.
And then, his crop failed – heavy rains washed it out two years ago, drought withered his fields the next. He was defeated not just by insurmountable loans but by the humiliation he felt about the unpaid debt. So he committed suicide.
Farmers work from early morning till late night. They wait an entire year to harvest a crop, despite all uncertainty. Most of the farmers are not getting MSP (Minimum Support Price). They are tied to the traders and middlemen who are dealing in agricultural inputs. This depresses the price that farmers are to get for their output. It is time the government implemented the schemes for the welfare of the farmers.
