Tenant Farmer Suicides On The Rise In AP

The intensified agriculture crisis was forcing tenant farmers to take extreme step of committing suicide as they are unable to cope with increased debt burden and lack of remunerative price to their produce.  

In the last two months alone, 43 tenant farmers committed suicide.  The official figures said 23 farmers died between August 24 and September 24 and 20  more farmers till October 31. 

The Highest number of deaths - 8  were reported in Kurnool district between September 25 and October 31,  followed by Guntur ( 6), Anantapur ( 3) and one each died in Prakasham,  YSR Kadapa and Krishna districts.  

Tenant farming took centre stage in Andhra where 63 per cent people depend on agriculture under the influence of economic reforms introduced in India in 1991. With the increasing input cost and low profits from the farming, many land owners stopped agriculture activity. As result,  tenant farmers mushroomed and incurred huge expenditure in farming but failed to get good results.  

The tenant farmers have been demanding interest free bank loans up to Rs One lakh,  wiaver of pending loans, inclusion of tenant farmers in e - Crop and the payment of crop insurance by the government only. The tenant farmers were also demanding creation of stabilization fund and minimum support price to the produce.
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