People's Democracy

THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) has expressed serious concern over the increasing number of farmers committing suicides in Andhra Pradesh. During the last four years and upto the January 27, 2002, 638 farmers have committed suicide. Andhra Pradesh has the dubious distinction of being number one in the country in this regard. This year itself, in the first three weeks of January, twenty five farmers have committed suicide. However, the Chandrababu Naidu government continues to be inhumanly oblivious to this pathetic situation and the problems confronting the farmers.

A delegation of the CPI(M), comprising B V Raghavulu, secretary of the state committee, Koratala Satyanarayana, M V Narasimha Reddy, members of the central committee, P Madhu and Y Venkateswara Rao, state secretariat members, met the Governor Dr C Rangarajan, and brought the seriousness of the situation to his notice on January 29. In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the CPI(M) delegation explained the present situation in detail and requested him to direct the state government to take urgent steps to remedy the situation.

The memorandum stated that some of the main reasons for these suicides are debt trap, non-availability of remunerative prices for agricultural produce and low yields due to natural calamities and spurious seeds and pesticides. All these have rendered the affected farmers financially bankrupt. Percentage of farm credit from financial institutions and co-operative societies has been decreasing and the farmers have no alternative except approaching the private money-lenders for loans at exorbitant rates of interest.

Almost half of the posts of mandal agricultural officers (block-level) are vacant and there is nobody to advise the farmers in management of pesticides, crop pattern etc. The farmers are left to the mercy of pesticide dealers, creating a market for the latter. There has been no effective control of pests.

The commitment of the government to supply power to agriculture for 9 hours a day, in practice, has become a hoax in many parts of the state. Fields in some areas were not irrigated due to erratic supply of power which caused burning of motors in many cases.

Farmers have had to sell their agricultural produce - paddy, groundnut, maize, cotton, etc. - at rates lesser by Rs.50 to Rs.150 per standard unit than the minimum support prices in most parts of the state. Even the purchase centres of the Cotton Corporation of India, Oilfed and other organisations have not been adequate in number. Norms of quality became the main hurdles to these organisations to purchase agricultural produce from the farmers. But these government-run organisations always welcome the end-produce from millers and traders.

The memorandum gave district-wise details of the suicides of farmers, which were reported from 20 out of 23 districts in the state. Warangal district accounted for the highest number of 120 suicides of farmers, followed by 112 in Ananthapur and 80 in Karimnagar.

The CPI(M) delegation urged upon the Governor to direct the state government to : 1. Appoint a high-level committee of experts to study the crisis in agriculture in the state and suggest remedies. 2. Payment of an ex-gratia of Rs.1 lakh to the kin of each farmer who committed suicide. 3. Stop collection of agricultural loans by banks and money-lenders and also the dues to the state government and AP Transco in drought-hit areas. 4. Take steps to provide remunerative prices to agricultural produce, farm credit and technical advice in crop management.

The Governor, responding positively, reminded that the issue of suicides by farmers figured in his speech on the Republic day and promised to bring the serious issue to the notice of the government again.

The CPI(M) has decided to distribute rice at the rate of 100 kg per family of 250 farmers who committed suicide during the last and current year. Rice was already being distributed to the families concerned in Ananthapur and some other districts said Raghavulu while speaking to media persons after meeting the Governor.

Asserting that the government can be forced to help the farmers only by waging united struggles, Raghavulu said the CPI(M) is getting prepared for conducting a phase-wise struggle. He also has said a conference with eminent intellectuals would be conducted in Hyderabad to discuss these issues.