Vidarbha - Farmers' Suicides

Farmers' Suicides

There have been more than 30,000 farmers who committed suicides in Maharashtra in the last decade, out of which more than 70% farmers belong to the 11 districts of Vidarbha region. This is mainly because of the infertility of the land, lack of ample amount of water resources, lack of new technologies and due to the negligence of the state govt. towards the farmers needs. The main crop in Vidarbha being Cotton, but the farmers growing it do not get their share from the govt., which lead to the high distress among them, leading to the massive suicides. Due to the absence of any responsible counseling either from the government or society there were many farmers who did not know how to survive in the changing economy. Such stresses pushed many into a corner where suicide became an option for them. This also lead the farmers and others in this region to make a call for a separate Vidarbha state. On August 2,2012, fearing failed monsoon multiplying his debt burden, Murlidhar More committed suicide, the first farmer suicide during 2012. His body was found hanging from a tree in his farm in Yamaji Patil Wadi in Atpadi taluka, Sangli district.