More Than 2,300 Farmer Suicides in 10 Months in Maharashtra

New Delhi: As many as 2,366 farmers died by suicide between January and October this year, Maharashtra’s minister for relief and rehabilitation, Anil Patil, told the state assembly on Thursday (December 14).

This averages to nearly 240 farmers ending their lives each month, equating to seven farmer suicides every day, the Deccan Chronicle reported.

The Vidarbha region, particularly the Amravati revenue division, saw the highest number of farmers' suicides, with 951 reported cases, the minister said, adding that the state government gives Rs 1 lakh to the kin of farmers who die by suicide. He was responding to a question asked by Congress MLA Kunal Patil.

In addition to Amravati, other regions also contribute to the severity of the issue. Nearly 877 farmers’ suicides were reported in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division (Marathwada), 254 in Nashik division (Khandesh) and 27 in Pune division (Western Maharashtra).

Vijay Wadettiwar, the leader of the opposition, accused the Maharashtra government of being apathetic towards farmers' struggles. He said that the state has seen over 3,000 farmer suicides from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, primarily due to crop failure and mounting debts.

While demanding a complete loan waiver, Wadettiwar urged the state government to declare the entire state as drought-hit to bring immediate relief to farmers who have been impacted by unseasonal rains.

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