1,500 Farmers Commit Mass Suicide In India

by Spence Cooper on 17/04/09 at 11:07 am

Indian Farmers Commit Suicide

On Wednesday, The Independent reported over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure. Bharatendu Prakash, from the Organic Farming Association of India, told the Press Association: “Farmers’ suicides are increasing due to a vicious circle created by money lenders. They lure farmers to take money but when the crops fail, they are left with no option other than death.”

“Development should be for all,” says Prakash, “The government blames us for being against development. Forest area is depleting and dams are constructed without proper planning. All this contributes to dipping water levels. Farmers should be taken into consideration when planning policies.”

“The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago,” Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine