In India, suicide in farmers has been a significant problem for several years. More
than 300,000 farmers committed suicide in this two decades. In 2014, the number
was 12,360, risen by 5% from the previous year. The primary reason for the suicide is considered as financial problems, as
bankruptcy and indebtedness were estimated to lead the tragedy in approximately
20% of the cases.
Agriculture is one of the prominent
contents of industry in India. And it its performance is easy to be influenced
by external factors, such as climate change and the performance of foreign
competitors. Not only natural disasters but also unexpected good harvest can
shake the price of crops adversely. Unless they prepare for such situations,
farmers are struck by a sudden reduction
of income.
Recently, the Indian government had encouraged farmers to purchase genetically
modified (GM) crops for maximizing the cost-effectiveness. However, some
farmers failed to grow them up due to bad monsoon,
and left a large amount of debt. Some media blamed this public policy.
On the other hand, farmers are not
identified as risky occupations in terms of suicide. There are many people more
likely to be exposed to social stresses.
Farmers, who can breathe fresh air and take physical exercise, are rather safe
from mental disorders, in general. Some practitioners recommend patients with
mental disorders to have an opportunity to take part in agricultural
activities.
In fact, there are 135,000 suicidal cases
in India in a year. More than half of Indian are
engaged in agriculture. It means that the suicide rate in farmers is
less than that in the general population
in India.
I have no doubt that poverty is a dominant
risk for suicide. And the matter is that many Indians are suffering from
poverty, regardless of their jobs. Although the government might be too
optimistic to promote GM seeds, it is unfair to attribute suicide of Indian
farmers to it or other single cause. It is a complex matter.
I think that one of the
most effective way to reduce suicidal case in India is to regulate the sale of
some kinds of insecticides, because a third of the means of suicide is
poisoning, as I wrote in the past. Elimination of means is much easier than the elimination of the cause, and it is almost equally efficient.
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