For third time in a row, AP ranks 3rd in farmer suicides

Vijayawada: Farmer suicides in Andhra Pradesh increased by over 19% in 2021 compared to 2020. Andhra Pradesh ranks third in farmer suicides in the country. A total of 1,065 people working in the farm sector (farmers, tenant farmers, and others) ended their lives in the state in 2021; the number was 889 in 2020.

The latest data of NCRB's Accidents and Suicides in India 2021 revealed that Andhra Pradesh occupied the third place in terms of the number of farmer suicides in 2021, behind Maharashtra with 4,064 farmer suicides and Karnataka (2,169). In 2020 and 2019, too, Andhra Pradesh ranked third in the country in farmer suicides with 889 and 1,029 suicides, respectively.

Suicides in Andhra Pradesh also increased by 14.5% in 2021 when compared to 2020. A total of 8,067 people died by suicide in 2021; the number was 7,043 in 2020.

The latest NCRB data depicted only the profession of the persons who died by suicide and shows no link to the cause of suicide.

Of the 1,065 farmer suicides in the state in 2021, 958 people were male and 107 were female.

The data also shows that 359 farmers who ended their lives cultivated their own farmland, 122 cultivated leased land, and 584 people were engaged as agricultural labourers.

The Andhra Pradesh government launched the YSR Rhythu Bharosa scheme in October 2019. The scheme provides Rs. 13,500 to farmers per annum and over 44.92 lakh landowning farmers and 1.58 lakh tenants benefit through the scheme. However, the scheme failed to minimise the farm crisis in the state.

The representatives of the Human Rights Forum (HRF) and Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) visited parts of the state and observed that mounting debts, lack of market price for their agricultural produce, and tenant farmers being deprived of benefits from the government were the major reasons for farmer suicides. They demanded the government prepare a proper mechanism to end the farm crisis.