Why farmers suicide are maximum in Maharashtra?

farmers suicide, Maharashtra

Why farmer’s suicides are maximum in Maharastra State ?

The answer for this querry is not far to seek. After Rajasthan, Maharastra is the biggest State in India. Its area is 3.08 lac sq.kms. Population is 13 crore, nearly half of U.P. Land area of U.P. is 2.4 lac sq.kms. Still, maximum number of farmers commit suicides in this state only. 2635 farmers committed suicides in 2024. Amravti district had the maximum number of such cases in the State. Poverty in rural areas is palpable.
The main reason is the grim shortage of Irrigation water in greater part of the State.
If irrigation water is available adequately, then this State can become number 1 food grain producer like M.P. after the construction of Indrasagar dam. There are 14 major water storage dams (height more than 30m)across Godavri and Krishna rivers. But the live storage capacity of 14 reservoirs is only 12.8 bcm or 10 MAF. Only two reservoirs namely Koyna and Jayakwadi dams have live storage capacities of 3.0 and 2.3 bcm respectively. LSC of other reservoirs is less than 1.0 bcm each.
Besides this, 6 dams are located within a radius of 70 kms around Pune and other 5 dams are located within a radius of 250 kms . So most of the agricultural land is without assured supply of irrigation water. Consequently, food production has become dependent upon vagaries of weather or rain fed. As a result, profession of Agriculture has become a big gamble for the farmers. To add to the woes, cattle wealth is also very low. They have short statured cows whose milk yield varies 4 litres per cow.
King Akbar asked Birbal’ ” Who is the greatest gambler?” Birbal replied,” Jahan Pannah, it is the farmer.”
Presently, rural India (Bharat) presents a totally different picture than presented by urban India. There, the figures of GDP growth or 3rd economy in the World look ephimeral or irrelevant.
Vast Vidarbha region has only three dams with total storage of 2.2 MAF.