The farmers of Andhra Pradesh(and Telangana), known as the ‘Rice
bowl of India’, are at cross roads, not for the first time. They are
forced to be there, year after year, one season after another, barely
surviving the times that are becoming harder and harder for small
farming. Some of them thought they had enough of feeding the nation,
which couldn’t feed them. The ever-growing debts made them choose death
over life. And a substantial amount of them have migrated to near by or
even far bound cities to work as daily wager labourers.
In India, small farmers (owning less than 5 acres) constitute around
85% of farming households holding a land of about 35.5% of the total
land. 11.24% of them(85%) are not landowners, they depend on farming by
borrowing land or by working in fields.
According to NSSO(National Sample Survey Organization) 2011
statistics(latest in this regard), 82% farmers in Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana are in debt where as 45% all over India share the same fate.
Andhra Pradesh(united) tops this list and that clearly is
an indication the plights of farming community in our state(s).
The national Crime Record Bureau(NCRB) records show that 2.8 lakh
farmers all over India and around 36,000 in Andhra Pradesh(united)
committed suicides, during the period 1995-2012...read full story@telugoos
