High farmer suicide rate a result of economic policies: P Sainath

September 7, 2013

Mangalore, Sep 7: Karnataka ranks second for the highest number of farmer suicides in the country with 39,000 suicides since 1995. Overwhelmingly, the suicide-committing farmers are cash crop farmers, said Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu P Sainath.

Delivering the second oration titled 'Corporate Hijack of Indian Agriculture' in the first B V Kakkilaya Inspired Orations - 2013, P Sainath, recipient of Ramon Magsaysay award, said that this was the result of the huge change that took place in farming, i.e. converting from cultivating food crops to cash crops. As there is greater cultivation of cash crops, there's a greater control by corporates in farming and the costs of cultivation are shooting through the roof as input prices go up. And every damage has been driven by economic policies,” he said, adding that the high farmer suicide rate was a result of growing inequality economic policies.

“The suicide rate is 47 percent higher among farmers than non-farmers. The highest number of suicides is by cotton farmers. Although the official figure states that about 2.85 lakh farmers have committed suicide since 1995, the figure excludes large number of women and Dalit farmers. Thousands of women farmers are excluded while calculating suicide rates, as the society does not consider women as farmers,” he said.

Quoting Ravindranath Tagore, Mr Sainath said that “Food is the source of wealth; food production is a source of endless misery.”

“When the Arab Spring that occurred in countries such as Yemen, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia in 2010, it did not occur due to Twitter. All these countries including India had seen giant increases in food prices since 2008, and all the while food and related companies continued to make profit. Food companies ranked at the top of the Fortune List of most profitable companies in 2009, when the world was hungry. Harvesting crops such as hunger and thirst is what the corporate world and corporate-driven society do,” he said.

He said that the West wanted us to cultivate cash crops to make us more dependent on them, as cash crops commodities are controlled by corporations at the global level. Corporatisation of agriculture is growing worse in India, he said, adding that we have to re-think the entire process of agriculture and move away from extremely critical techniques.

“In growing inequality, what has happened in agriculture is the extreme case of what has been happening in the rest of the country. We need to de-link ourselves from high-input and high-cost economy and lower the cost of agriculture,” he said.

A special 10-day session should be conducted in the Parliament specifically for agriculture, he opined.

The third edition of 'Bara Andre Ellarigoo Ishta', Kannada translation of Sainath's book 'Everybody Loves a Good Drought' was released on the occasion by K Phaniraj.

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January 14,2025

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Bengaluru: The BJP on Tuesday accused the police of "framing" an innocent person in the cow attack case in Chamarajapet here and demanded a fair investigation into the incident.

Sheikh Nasru (30), a native of Champaran in Bihar, has been arrested for allegedly slashing the udders of three cows on Sunday.

The matter escalated into a communal controversy after the saffron party threatened to observe 'Black Sankranti' if the culprits were not arrested before the festival.

The party has since emphasised that the actual perpetrators must be apprehended.

Addressing media here, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said, "There are claims that an innocent man has been falsely implicated and is being projected as the culprit."

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka also raised doubts about the investigation, questioning how a mentally unstable man could work at the firm for a decade.

Ashoka noted that the incident occurred at the veterinary hospital, which spans four acres.

He alleged that the hospital was recently declared Waqf property and claimed that Karna, the owner of the injured cattle, had opposed the Waqf Board’s decision, suggesting this opposition might have led to the incident.

The party leaders led by Vijayendra and Ashoka celebrated 'Sankranti' by offering special prayers to cows at the spot where the attack took place.

Meanwhile, state Home Minister G Parameshwara dismissed the opposition charges and said the police were investigating the case without any bias.

"If the investigation reveals the involvement of more people, then police will not spare them," he told reporters here.

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January 13,2025

Mangaluru: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Singapore remain determined to establish direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore despite setbacks. This follows Air India Express' (AIE) recent decision to postpone its planned direct flight service on this route, disappointing many expats.

In response, NRIs have proposed an alternative solution: extending IndiGo's existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru. Currently, the Singapore-Bengaluru flight lands at Kempegowda International Airport at 7:40 AM, but passengers cannot board the 9:00 AM Bengaluru-Mangaluru connection due to insufficient transit time. Extending the Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru would address this issue and benefit travelers.

Rajesh H. Acharya, director of HQ Connections in Singapore and coordinator of the Singapore Tuluver community, expressed disappointment over AIE's handling of the situation. "We’ve been advocating for this route since 2017, and it was close to becoming a reality. However, the sudden postponement and lack of stakeholder support have delayed our efforts," he said.

A petition has been submitted to IndiGo Airlines requesting the introduction of a direct Mangaluru-Singapore flight. Alternatively, it suggests extending IndiGo’s existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to include Mangaluru. Expats have also approached Scoot Airlines in Singapore for direct connectivity. However, the lack of 'Point of Call' status for Mangaluru Airport remains a significant hurdle for international flights.

Despite the challenges, NRIs continue their efforts to make direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore a reality.

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January 13,2025

Udupi: A resident of Karkala in Udupi district has accused five individuals of defrauding him of nearly Rs 2 crore under the guise of business partnerships.

Dawood Hakim, a resident of Ennehole in Marne village, Karkala, has filed a complaint stating that he operated a mobile sales and service business on Karkala Market Road for 15 years. He had known the accused for over two decades and trusted them implicitly.

According to Dawood, the accused convinced him to invest in multiple business ventures, including land dealings and a travel business, promising substantial returns and partnership benefits. Believing their assurances, Dawood reportedly handed over cash, gold, and a vehicle.

However, the promised profits never materialized, and the accused allegedly failed to return the money or assets. Dawood claims this deception has caused severe financial distress to him and his family, amounting to a loss of around Rs 2 crore.

A case has been registered at the CEN police station, and investigations are underway.

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