Debt Life Of Indian Farmers

India is a land of farmers.They are the back bone of our country. 80% of the people living in India depends on agriculture. At present, 60% of the national income comprises of agricultural income. Agriculture plays a vital role in the economic development of the country. Therefore, Government has taken various steps to enhance the agricultural productivity. Among these steps, the most vital step that government has taken is, in favour of the farmers, against rural indebtedness. Farmers play vital role in agricultural development of the country. It is the farmers who cultivate crops and harvest them to give us food grains. Not only food grains but also cash and non cash crops which are exported to different parts of the world. Farmers grow food for us which we buy from the markets with our earnings. It has been witnessed that in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerela, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, etc. the farmers have commit suicide due to indebtedness.

Farmers take loans from the moneylenders either to buy land, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides.They basically take loans for their personal reasons like repaying off previous debts, daughter’s or sister’s marriage,and other ceremonial occasions. Most of the time, farmers could not repay back the money due to less income. Hence, the debt so accumulated, goes on increasing days after days. Every loan is a debt and accumulation of debts is indebtedness. Indebtedness has made many farmers to loose their land and other properties. They finally decide to commit suicide rather than to die due to starvation.

Farmers wastefully use money which they have borrowed from the rural moneylenders at high rate of interest. Only 20% of the money is used productively. Therefore the profit they earn from the agriculture is not sufficient enough to recover debt. Adhere to this, if there is any adverse situations like drought, flood, crops are burnt by the enemies, etc. The farmers are unable to pay anything. In such situations, the farmers die under the burden of loan. His heir continues to pay off the debts of his forefathers. This continues till generations.

This is the senario of farmers life in 21st century. The mode and art of agriculture has developed but the problem has not yet solved. Even today farmers are commiting suicide in villages. They are torchered and exploited by the moneylenders. Government has set up RRBs (Regional Rural Bank) and Commercial Banks for helping the poor farmers. These institutions provide them loan at very low rate of interest. These institutions provide them loans to pay off their debts and out of the clutches of the rural moneylenders. Adhere to this, Government has introduced some schemes to remove rural indebtedness from India. They are:-

1. Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme,1985

2. Kisan Credit Cards(KCC), (Aug 1998)

3. National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS),1999-2000

4. Farm Income Insurance Scheme (FIIS), 2004

5. National Farmers Commission,2004

6. Small Farmers Development Agency(SFDA)

7. State Level Farmers’ Debt Relief Commissions, etc.

Farmers are getting educated. Now they can fight for their rights. They take part in the economic development and welfare of the country.

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