Causes and Cure of Farmer's Suicide

Farmer suicide is a very complex phenomenon largely associated with economic, social and psychological distress of the victim as well as family. In recent years, many farmers in Punjab have committed suicides due to rapid increase in debt, repeated crop failures, natural calamities, lack of alternative sources of income, exploitation by arhtiyas, increase in cost of production, sinking water-table and overall rapidly declining profitability etc. Therefore, to bring down the suicides among farming community, some preventive measures should be taken viz. crop insurance, extension services, agriculture credit, contract farming etc. These services need to be strengthened.