Volume 5, No. 9, September 2004

Thousands of peasants have committed suicide. These painful incidents are still continuing and spreading throughout the rural India. To cover up these horrible incidents, the unabashed governments (irrespective of their colours) have fabricated so many stories. But this phenomenon is too conspicuous to conceal. And these governments had to recognise the grim reality and adopt some remedial measures. Even after declaration of these measures, suicide deaths by farmers have been continuing. This ever-increasing number of farmers’ suicides only indicates the depth of misery and desparation that have gripping the rural India.

The peasants’ resentments have also been spreading throughout the countryside. They have been agitating and raising their voice against the government policies that have caused disaster to their lives. But these agitations have not been developed into a mighty peasant struggle as yet against those same policies and for realizing their demands.

Let us try to understand, in brief, the plight of the peasants, the government policies that prompt the farmers to kill themselves, the real face of the government measures and the basic problems that are to be addressed.

Since the implementation of ‘economic reforms’ programme, cultivation has become most uneconomic increasing huge amount of loan of the peasants. The plight of the indebted farmers has further turned from bad to worse due to exorbitant rates of interest. It became more and more unbearable resulting in desparation and helplessness. The deeply indebted peasants apparently did not find out any other solution than to kill themselves. Thus emerged the ghastly phenomenon of suicide by farmers, which pervaded the countryside.

Prem Shankar Jha stated in his article ‘Plight of The Farmers’ that 14,833 farmers committed suicide all over the country in 1999. 9,430 of them took place in four states—Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. In the same year 127 farmers committed suicide in Bihar.

During the regime of TDP govt. led by Chandrababu Naidu, a large number of peasants committed suicide. Between 1997-2001, in Anantapur district 2000 farmers killed themselves. According to police report, in 2002 alone 2,580 peasants destroyed their own lives by ingesting pesticides, in the districts, Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad. The spate of suicide has been continuing. Within a month after 14th May, about 300 peasents committed suicide.

In Karnataka during the rule of the Congress govt. led by S.M. Krishna, the peasents of the state took the same path. Minister of agriculture informed that between 2001-2004 as many as 841 farmers committed suicide.

In the last financial year (i.e. 2002-2003) alone the number of suicide was 708 and in the previous year it was 52 (The Hindu, 05.08.04). In the past 10 months more than 650 farmers committed suicide. This has been reported in a release from the office of the Development Commissioner in March 2004.

In Punjab too, the situation is grave. The Tribune reported the number of farmers’ suicide death in the state is 3000 annually. Most of these took place in Sangur, Mansa, Bhattinda, Ferozepur and Barnala districts. Other districts have also experienced such incidents.

According to a report published in The Hindu on 1st April ’04, since June of this year in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra around 45 cotton farmers burdened with debt have committed suicide. Since 1986, farmers have been continuing to kill themselves. In 1987 it was reported that more than 80 and in 2001 more than 90 farmers committed suicide. This is still continuing and since June 2004 as many as 49 farmers ended their lives for the same crush cause.

In two months just before the election about 30 farmers committed suicide in Kerala. This phenomenon also persists in UP and Rajasthan.

‘Left’ Front ruled West Bengal is no exception. The potato farmers in debt committed suicides.

In other states—Tamilnadu, Gujarat, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh etc., the condition of the farmers has been getting more deplorable. The agrarian economy of these states has also been passing through a deep crisis resulting in widespread desparation among the large number of peasants. The peasants of these states are also heading towards the same destiny.

The numbers of peasants’ suicide death in different states stated above were reported in the media. Unreported cases are in large number.

So the actual number of peasants’ suicide deaths is definitely much higher than it is stated here. These harrowing tales of peasants’ suicide are the immediate outcome of the economic reforms programme which helped the MNCs to further their penetration into the rural economy. The ruthless exploitation of MNCs and that of rural exploiting classes have been intensifying. Consequently the plight of the vast majority of the peasants is becoming more and more miserable.

Joblessness, indebtedness, hunger, undernutrition and desparation stalk the countryside of India. Prof. Utsa Patnaik pointed out that the average family of four members of this country was absorbing 93 kg less foodgrains in 2000-2001 than 1997-’98. It means that there was a fall in average daily intake by 64 grams per head or a fall in calorie intake by 256 calories from foodgrains (which accounts for 65 to 75 percent of the food budget of the poor)". This abysmal low level of absorption is only comparable to that of appalling Bengal famine of 1943. She further stated, ‘’Since the richest one-sixth to one-fifth of the population, mainly urban, has been improving and diversifying diets, the nutritional decline for the poorest three-fifths of the population, mainly rural, has been much greater than the average fall indicates" (Frontline, March 12, ’04). In fact poor and landless peasants and wage-labourers, ie. about more than 60% of the peasants have been suffering from hunger, undernutrition and starvation. This massive reduction in foodgrains absorption is the outcome of economic reforms programme which has further intensified the persisting crisis of the agrarian economy entailing more and more decline in purchasing power of the rural people. The meagre employment provisions have also been curtailed. The cultivation has become uneconomic. The vast majority of the farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers and tenant cultivators have to depend more and more on private money-lenders for loan at an exorbitant rate of interest. The deeply indebted peasants could not pay back their loans. They became desparate and took their own lives. What are those policies that have affected the peasants so adversely?

Since the mid-90s both central and state governments have been implementing reform policies dictated by the IMF, World Bank and other associated organizations. At the time of introduction of these policies the govts depicted a rosy picture of future prosperity. The stark reality shattered the myth and exposed the pro-imperialist character of reforms. These policies have further intensified the expolitation and rendered inhuman sufferings to farmers. Faithfully toeing to these policies:

(i) Govts curtailed subsidies on seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, electricity etc. These vital inputs of agriculture were handed over to private agents. Govts did not even introduce any system to control the quality of these inputs. This was to accommodate the free play of market forces. It is proper to say that the govt wide opened the domestic market for the free play of the MNCs which control the international market of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides. Private agents took the opportunity and supplied spurious seeds and pesticides. Consequently the prices of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides increased and yield per hectre decreased. In 90s the rate of agricultural growth has declined even below that of population growth for the first time in 30 years.

(ii) Govts drastically reduced the amount of rural credit at a low rate of interest from banks and other institutions. This policy virtually compelled the farmers to depend on private money-lenders for loans at an exorbitant rate of interest. Generally, the interest rate per year is not less than 60% and there is no upper limit as such. It is even 120% and more.

(iii) Govts continue to hike power tariff according to conditionalities of loan taken from the World Bank and its associated organizations. As a part of Structural Adjustment Programme reorganization of power sector has been undertaken. This process is going on throughout the country to fulfil the aim and objectives of the loan, ie. division of the power sector into generation, transmission and distribution segments. This is for the purpose of corporatization and then privatization. As a result of this process the power tariffs have been increasing. On November 30, 2002, the power tarriffs have been increased in Madhya Pradesh by as much as 800 percent! The vast majority of the farmers in Madhya Pradesh could not pay their dues. 6 lakh power connections out of total 12 lakh connections used for the purpose of energising irrigation were severed. Madhya Pradesh govt. took a loan of $350 million in 2000 from the Asian Development Bank with the condition for restructuring of the power sector. Karnataka govt. took loan from World Bank. One of the conditions was power sector reforms which resulted in huge increase in power tariffs. Same is the situation in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal and other states. In every state the peasents have to suffer for increased rate of power tariff as hikes in power tariff have further increased their cost of production.

(iv) Following the conditionalities of imperialists-controlled WTO (World Trade Organization) the Govt. of India completely opened up the domestic market of agricultural and agro-based products to world markets. It removed quauntitative restrictions on imports of those products. The tariffs on improts have also been reducing persistently. These measures were adopted when the world market of agri-commodities was facing the problem of depressed demand due to deep crisis of the world economy. Moreover, the imperialist govts. of OECD countries spent huge amount on agricultural subsidies. These resulted in fall in prices of agri-commodities in the world market. As a consequence of exposure of domestic market before the international market controlled by the MNCs, the imported cheaper agri-commodities flooded the domestic market. These govt. policies have compelled the farmers of the country to compete with cheaper foreign agri-commodities when they have to spend more and more for ever-increasing cost of agriculture inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, electricity etc. Increasing cost of inputs, decline in growth rates and lower prices of outputs have most adversely affected the farmers, particularly those who produce crops like cotton, chilli, sugarcane, jute, tea, coffee, oilseed, wheat, stone fruits—almonds, apricots, peaches, plums etc. Due to above policies exploitation by imperialist forces and that of private money-lenders, landlords, hoarders has intensified causing indebtedness, desparation, destitution and starvation to vast majority of rural people, particularly the small and marginal peasants and tenant cultivators. Thousands of peasants’ suicide death is the culmination of this horrible plight of the peasants.

To prevent suicide by farmers and to reduce the intensify of peasants’ resentment the state govts have announced a number of measures. These include—help for the affected family, providing loan to farmers at lower rate of interest, moratorium on debt for a fix period, supply of rice and wheat at a low price to BPL card holders, free supply of electricity for a fix period etc. All these are ad hoc measures. They also announced some measures which would be implemented in future, such as, introducing a system ‘’if necessary" to check spurious seeds and pesticides/fertilizers, completing the pending irrigation prejects, deversification of crops etc. Some immediate measures are no doubt necessary to address the burning issues that the farmers are facing. But those measures can only provide some temporary relief if these are implemented properly. Many allegations have already come up. It is reported that even these ad hoc measures have not been properly implemented. The minister for agriculture, Karnataka, K. S. Gowda, informed that out of the total number of 841 cases of suicides in 2001-’04, compensation had been paid to the families of the farmers in 225 cases (The Hindu, Aug 5, ’04). The conditionalities of compensation are so clumsy that affected farmers cannot receive the compensation. It is alleged that the revenue assistant commissioner of Hassan district denied the family compensation on the ground the farmers did not own any land (The Hindu, Aug 5, ’04).

Andhra Pradesh State Govt. announced moratorium on debt for six month and on May 7, finalized the annual state credit plan which envisaged only 16% increase in crop loans and a 20% increase in term loans. Vast majority of the indebted poor peasants are entirely dependent on lenders most of whom are either landlords, or neo-rich peasants who control the agri-inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc. It is hard to imagine that AP govt. can free the poor peasants from the clutch of these moneylanders. However, all these reliefs, compensations to affected families, free electricity for a fix period and moratorium on debt for a specified period have been announced as ad hoc measure to address some of the immediate problems of the peasants. None of the govts. adopted any such measure which go against economic reforms policies. All parties of the UPA govt. are at the service of the imperialist forces and the so-called ‘’left" parties led by the CPM and the CPI support this govt. The declared aim of the UPA govt. is to give a ‘’human face’’ to these imperialist dictated policies. This has been clearly reflected in the budget of 2004-05. Inspite of such a distressing condition of the rural economy the budget outlay for the department of Agriculture and Co-operation has been same as it was in the interim budget of the NDA. There is no new allocation for farm sector. While private moneylenders provide 72% of the rural credit at a high interest rate, Finance Minister’s decision is to double the flow of agricultural credit in three years. Both public sector and private banks have been entrusted with the task of its implementation. It is a well known fact that the private banks are not interested to provide loan to rural sector. But the UPA govt. which persues the economic reforms, has enough reason to depend on private banks! There is no such proposals to prevent imports of agri-commodities, to ensure rural employment, and to provide subsidies to agri-inputs. But there is a proposal for introducing ‘Food Stamp’. This is nothing but a further step to dismantle the public distribution system.

All these measures indicate that both the state and central govts continue to follow the same old economic reforms dictated by the imperialist forces. Thus the farmers of the country have to face the vagaries of world market prices controlled and distorted by the MNCs. Alongwith intensified imperialist exploitation, the exploitation of landlords, moneylenders, hoarders and a section of neo-rich peasants will continue.

The vast majority of the peasants in every state have been expressing dissatisfactions, resentments and anger against these policies of economic reforms. They have been consigning their crops to fire as a mark of protest. These distressed peasants are being led by this or that parliamentary parties who are supporting this economic reforms. In most of the states the agitations of the peasants are utilized by these parties for the purpose of their narrow interests. Thus the peasants are being misguided by these parties to serve the interest of ruling-exploiting classes of the country and that of the imperialist forces.

It is the task of the revolutionary forces of the country to organize the peasants and lead them to develop a countrywide peasant movement against these pro-imperialist policies. The duty falls on the revolutionary forces to bring pressure on the government and private lenders for waiving the death inducing burden of loans of the distressed peasants in rural India. This will also expose the hypocrat politicians shedding crocodile tears for the peasants thrust onto the path of suicide. In the course of development of this movement the ugly face of these parties will be further exposed and help develop political consciousness among the vast majority of the peasants. This broad based peasant movement will be directed against the imperialist onslaught and will also mobilize other sections of the people who are also adversely affected due to these policies. Only revolutionary forces can shoulder this responsibility and impart political consciousness to the peasants so that they can realize the necessity of changing the existing system.

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