NEW DELHI: A total of 10,786 persons involved in farming sector (consisting of 4,690 farmers/cultivators and 6,096 agricultural labourers) have committed suicide in 2023, accounting for 6.3% of total suicides victims (1, 71,418) in the country, shows the NCRB report of the ministry of home affairs.The number of such suicides, however, declined by more than 4% in 2023 compared to 2022 when 11,290 persons involved in the farming operations committed suicide.The report shows that Maharashtra continues to witness the highest number of such suicides (4,151), contributing over 38% of overall farm-related suicides, followed by Karnataka (2,423), Andhra Pradesh (925), Madhya Pradesh (777) and Tamil Nadu (631). Maharashtra and Karnataka saw higher suicides among farmers than agricultural labourers whereas Andhra Pradesh, MP and TN witnessed higher suicides among agricultural labourers. Maharashtra and Karnataka put together reported more than 60% of farmers/agricultural labourers suicides in the country in 2023. Both the states also had the dubious distinction of being top two in the list in 2022 as well.The NCRB categorises the farm-related suicides in two categories with one being those committed by farmers (who cultivate their own land with or without assistance of agricultural labourers) and second being the agricultural labourers who primarily work in farming sector and whose main source of income is from farm labour activities. Dependence on cash crops such as cotton and sugarcane is the main reason of distress among farmers as such crops need big investment in farm inputs, forcing farmers to depend on moneylenders. Failure of crops often drives the farmers to take the extreme steps.Though easier crop loan facilities, farmer income support (PM-Kisan) scheme and affordable crop insurance help farmers to an extent, many of them continue to face the brunt of high input cost and disasters.Certain states/UTs — West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Chandigarh, Delhi(UT) and Lakshadweep — however reported zero suicides of farmers/cultivators as well as agricultural labourers in 2023.Out of 4,690 farmer/cultivator suicides in the country in 2023, a total of 4,553 were male and 137 were female. Out of 6,096 suicides committed by agricultural labourers during 2023, 5,433 were male and 663 were female.
