Farmer suicides have hogged front page headlines in local newspapers in the past few days. If this trend continues, the time is not far when Orissa will be dubbed a high-incidence state in the country so far as farmer suicides go. The problem has become endemic to certain districts in Orissa such as Bargarh and Bolangir, albeit farmers in other districts have also resorted to such extreme steps.
Crop failure, default in loan repayments, harassment by moneylenders, under-realisation of crops or lack of alternative sources of income are the prime reasons behind the spurt in farmer suicides. Reports of farmers committing suicides have assumed alarming proportions.
Over last few days it has become almost a daily affair. An unnerved state government Wednesday sent a technical team to Bargarh which has reported maximum number of farmer suicides this year. The district alone has seen four farmer deaths in one week.
Three frustrated farmers in the district Tuesday set fire to their standing paddy crop — a new style of registering protest — as they found it heavily affected by pests. Orissa has in the past seen below par rain and also experienced drought; but serial suicide by farmers in the district was unprecedented.
The fact that such incidents keep happening even after the state government announced a drought package is proof that the aid has failed to work as an antidote to the crisis. In the latest case, Brundaban Sahu of Kalapani village, who had first set fire to his seven-acre of paddy crop Tuesday, killed himself Wednesday by consuming poison.
Brundaban’s life could have been saved had the administration reached out to him in time. Even as many districts in the state have been declared drought-affected and the government has declared a package, pests have caused heavy damage to crops. Cases of pest attack have been reported from Bargarh, Kalahandi, Balasore and Ganjam districts.
Thousands of hectares of paddy crop that survived drought have fallen victim to diseases such as bacterial panicle blight (BPB). Paddy crop is ripe and farmers are preparing to harvest it within a fortnight or so.
However, this time pests such as brown planthopper, white black plant hopper, stem borer, leaf folder and case worm, among others, have affected the crop. Having seen their ripe crops succumbing to pests has pushed farmers onto the edge.
They are setting fire to hectares of crops out of sheer frustration and anguish. Such cases have come from Bargarh, Sambalpur and Ganjam and Rayagada districts.
Pest attacks could have been avoided had there been timely human intervention. District agricultural offices have no relations with farmers. These highly-paid officers hardly leave their air-conditioned offices.
There is zero monitoring of outreach programmes that these officers claim to have been doing. Lack of awareness and timely guidance force farmers to take advice from profiteering pest-control companies and dealers.
Companies dealing in pesticides and insecticides make hay during such distress. Dealers and company agents thrust their products on unsuspecting farmers who use it on ripe crops to save them. An overdose of these chemicals does more harm than good to standing crops.
Cases of crops having withered due to overdose of pesticides have been reported from Sambalpur, Bargarh and Kalahandi districts. Unscrupulous traders try to fish in troubled waters and gullible farmers fall victim to their cajoling.
District level agriculture offices staffed by experts and equipped with scientific devices must shun the ‘chalta he’ attitude and work proactively during such crises. They must be told to meet farmers and should hold roadshows to educate them.
The latter must be given proper counselling and educated on scientific usage of pesticides and their proper doses. A proactive approach and timely intervention can go a long way in preventing high incidence of this man-made crisis.
