Factors responsible for farmers suicides in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra

Agriculture is the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio economic development of our nation. More than 80 percent of the farmers who work in this sector are marginal and small farmers. They depend on loan from private money lenders or on financial institutions for the cultivation of their land. They depend on agricultural income for their family expenses, education and for the marriage of the children. The agriculture is in crises in India and farmers from various states in Maharashtra in particular are in distress due to indebtedness, repeated failure of crops, increasing costs of production, poor quality of seeds, impact of globalization, exploitation by money lenders and businessmen. More evidently, farmers of cotton growing region are distress because of fall in the cotton prices in international market, low import tariff, shut down of Monopoly Cotton Procurement Scheme (MCPS) and increase in the costs of cotton cultivation in Maharashtra. This paper attempts to identify the economic situation of suicide victim families and factors responsible for farmer's suicide.