Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis deepen as 4 more Yavatmal Farmers suicides reported in last 72 hours

Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis deepen as 4 more Yavatmal Farmers suicides reported in last 72 hours

Nagpur-28^th January 201

As all officials are busy election and SEC has stopped relief aids has further deepen the on going Agrarian crisis in cotton belt of vidarbha as 4 more debt trapped and distressed cotton farmers suicides reported in last 72 hours ,the recent victims identified as

1.Gajanan kale of Nandura in Yavatmal

2.Mahadeo chavan of Khopari(khurd) in Yavatmal

3.Pundlik Ade of Pathri in Yavtmal

4.Narendra Thakare of sarpali in Yavatmal

As per official reports around 300 distressed farmers committed suicides in year 2011 alone and suicide spiral is till continued in 2012 ,Kishor Tiwari, president of Nagpur-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), activist group working for cotton farmer rights in a Press release today.

The complete administration and All political parties are busy in Local body elections whereas SEC guidelines of moral code of conductions are stopping the babus to release relief aids to dying farmers resulting in farmers suicides . Every party raised the banner demanding a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) to at least 6,000 a quintal from 3300 at present are keeping mum ,Tiwari added.

Poor yields had disturbed the whole calculation for the region's growers and many had not grown enough to even break even at current rates, Moreover, Friday's session left the traders apprehensive too as the rates of lint (processed cotton) have gone down by 500 at 35,000 a candy (3.56 quintals). This is expected to have a ripple effect on raw cotton prices too. The prevailing cotton rates will add fuel to on going cotton grower’s crisis as given the rising cost of production, a rate of 6,000 a quintal alone will leave some surplus with farmers, Tiwari said.

According to the data compiled by Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), Maharashtra has the second lowest yield at 355 kgs per hectare. This translates to around 1.5 quintals an acre. Karnataka yield is 322 kg a hectare or 1.28 quintals per acre. According cotton federation, a yield of at least 5-6 quintals per acre is needed for the farmer to turn a profit. This doesn't happen here mainly due to lack of irrigation, Tiwari said.

Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti said even though state government has announced relief package, it was too less to make good the farmers' losses। Under the scheme, a farmer gets 4,000 per hectares with the dole being capped at 8000 per cultivator. "If the losses are considered, the grant is too less. The only solution is to increase the minimum support prices as market trends only indicate bearish outlook for future," he said.

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