Octogenarian Gurdev Singh finds it difficult to walk even with the help of a stick. With a distant gaze in his eyes, he narrates how his son Karnail Singh consumed poison in February last year, unable to repay a debt of Rs 5 lakh. The family has one acre of land and is finding it difficult to survive, leave alone pay off the debt. Gurdev’s is not the only house in the village that is reeling under debt. Chottiyan has witnessed as many as seven suicides of farmers and farm labourers in the last one year. Gurdev’s daughter-in-law and grandson now do odd jobs to support the family. All those who committed suicide had taken loans for different purposes and were unable to repay. A year later, the loans still stand. The families receive regular visits from money lenders. According to a survey conducted by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; and Punjabi University, Patiala, in 2000 and 2011, a total of 6,926 farmers and farm labourers committed suicide in Punjab. NGOs and farmer organisations, however, peg the numbers much higher. Among the worst affected areas are Mansa, Sangrur and Fazilka. The Punjab government, which takes pride in calling itself farmer friendly, seems to have been unable to find a solution to the problems of farmers. A state that pioneered the Green Revolution is now witnessing farmers reeling under debt. The farmers in Sangrur and Mansa are affected more than others due to poor quality soil, small land holdings and, in some cases, inadequate water supply. Over the years, the cost of inputs has risen. Sarpanch of Khanauri village Kuldeep Singh says, “In cases where the land is 5 to 10 acres, farmers have their own tubewell. However, in case of those having one or two acres of land, at times they pool in to install a tubewell which costs Rs 2.5-3 lakh. Then there are disputes over sharing water. The cost of pesticides as well as labour has increased. If one acre land is given on contract at Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, the farmer does not save more than Rs 10,000.’’ He adds that once the loan is taken, it becomes difficult to return it. “If one crop is damaged, the farmer is unable to pay back the loan. The interest keeps piling on and the situation becomes such that money cannot be returned,” says Kuldeep. As per the Agriculture Policy of Punjab prepared in 2013, “Imbalances in soil fertility has developed; farmers have to use higher quantities of inputs to maintain productivity even at the same level. This poses serious threats to long-term sustainability of agriculture in the state. The rate of growth in output is decelerating, farmers’ real income is declining and rural distress is rising.” The policy further states that plateauing of yields of principal crops and increased cost of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides and higher labour wages have led to increase in cost of production and thereby, a squeeze in farmer income. Higher cropping intensity and monoculture of wheat and rice has led to depletion of both major and micro nutrients, emergence of new insect pests, diseases and weeds. In another house in Chottiyan village, Major Singh and Mahinder Kaur are still in shock over the suicide of their son Mithu Singh, who stayed in the adjoining house. Major Singh says, “Our son never told us he had taken loans from several people. It is after he consumed poison and people started coming to us seeking repayment that I got to know. I cannot return the money. He owned one acre of land.” Similar is the story of Salochana Kaur, whose husband Darshan Singh, a farm labourer, committed suicide in July last year. Darshan had taken loan of Rs 3 lakh for building a house and marrying their daughter. The family used to own half acre land which has now been sold off to repay the loan. “My husband felt humiliated as he could not return the loan and killed himself. I have four daughters. One of them is working as a labourer. It is very difficult to manage even day to day expenses,” she says. A member of Baba Nanak Education Trust, Inderjit Singh Jaijee, who documents cases of suicide in Sangrur and Mansa districts, says that steps taken by the government are not adequate. “There have been so many suicides. But the government says the figures are not very high. There is a need for taking immediate steps to improve the condition of the farmers of the state,” he says. The Punjab government had in 2000-2001 prepared a plan “Mission for a Second Push in Agriculture and Allied Sectors”. Most of the proposals in the plan are yet to be implemented. There was a proposal to promote agro-based industry and changing the cropping pattern. Cultivation of fruits and vegetables was to be encouraged. The proposals seem to be on paper. President of Bharatiya Kisan Union Balbir Singh Rajewal says, “There is little that the government is doing for farmers. Governance has become a business. A study conducted by Punjabi University had highlighted that 65 per cent farmers and 75 per cent farm labourers have not cleared matric. There is a need for looking at the problem holistically otherwise the farmers will continue to suffer.”
