Nine more Vidarbha Cotton farmers suicides reported in 72 hours :Massive Bt,cotton crop failure in 20 lakhs hector of vidarbha

Nine more Vidarbha Cotton farmers suicides reported in 72 hours :Massive Bt,cotton crop failure in 20 lakhs hector of vidarbha

Nagpur -4^th November 4, 2011

The ink of news that rocked on official national afrm suicide data of NCRB become official which has reported that the country has seen over a quarter of a million farmers’ suicides between 1995 and 2010. The National Crime Records Bureau’s latest report on ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ places the number for 2010 at 15,964. That brings the cumulative 16-year total from 1995 — when the NCRB started recording farm suicide data — to 2,56,913, the worst-ever recorded wave of suicides of this kind in human history and Maharashtra posts a dismal picture with over 50,000 farmers killing themselves in the country's richest State in that period. It also remains the worst State for such deaths for a decade now.

Close to two-thirds of all farm suicides have occurred in five States: Maharashtra, Karnataka, A.P., Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Nine more debt trapped cotton farmers suicides reported in last 72 hours from the dying field of west vidarbha taking toll to 662 in year 2011, ill feted farmers are

1.Gajanan Sawant of Pangara Pole in Buldhana

2.Anata Bhilange of Nivana in Buldhana

3.Vithoba Munde of Sonasi in Buldhana

4.Gajanan Kavate of Palodi in Akola

5.Devrao Nimbolkar in asola in Akola

6.Sukhadev Pawar of amadi in Yavatmal

7.Ashok Chintelwar of karegoan(bandal) in Yavatmal

8.Ramesh Tekam of Mangarda in Yavatmal

9.Dadarao Nage of Lohgoan in Amaravati

Kishor Tiwari, president of Nagpur-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), activist group working for cotton farmer rights informed in a Press release today.

A progressive young farmer ended his life by climbing on an electric pole and touching a live wire at Pangra Dole village in Lonar taluka, Buldhana district, on Wednesday. Gajanan Sawant (28), a marginal farmer who owned two acres of land, died as soon as he came in contact with the live wire. He failed to bear the loan burden and took the extreme step. Ashok Chintelwar was facing crop failure after his bt.cotton lost in last week sun outrage Where as Ramesh Tekam debt trapped tribal farmers commuiiteed suicides after police tortured him in case of motor pump theft, Tiwari said.

Maharashtra's story is alarming. It saw 20,066 farmers kill themselves between 1995 and 2002. That stands dwarfed by the 30,415 farmers who took their lives in the next eight years. The latter period saw an annual average increase of nearly 1,155 such deaths in the State. local leading daily reported today that around 15 lakh Hector Bt.cotton crop has been lost in six district of west vidarbha where in maharashtra most of Bt.cotton crop has been damaged due to delayed rain and erratic weather condition .Mahrashtra is the state where Bt.cotton has crossed 50 lakhs hector this year out of which more than 35 lakhs hector is purely dry land area where rainy water is only source.

Initially Maharashtra Govt. expected yield of cotton was around 450 lakhs quintal that has been revised to 300 lakhs quintal but prevailing crop condition and severe damage to Bt. Cotton crop in region average yield likely to be dropped by 50% .on the expenses front cultivation cost has jumped to Rs.20,000/- per acre from Rs.12,000/-where average yield has come down 2 quintal per acre from 4 quintal per acre hence accumalted losees are likely to cross more than Rs.5000 crore in vidarbha alone and this is trigger of this restart of farm suicide spiral ,Tiwari addded.

VJAS has urged Govt. of India to send team of expert to assess the Bt. Cotton crop damage in maharashtra and west vidarbha in particular where cotton afrmers are killing themselves .VJAS has been demanding hike in cotton MSP Rs.6000/- per quintal and relief package to dying cotton farmers of region , Tiwari added.

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