Farmers are dying, govt has no solution

Wayanad (Kerala): Mariyakutty's family in Wayanad has been grieving for the past three years.

Mariyakutty was the sole bread-winner of the family. However, she committed suicide after she was unable to repay the loans she had taken. Her son-in-law, Mathew, now does manual labour to provide food for the family.

But providing for a family of eight is no easy task. Mariyakutty's family depended on their pepper plantation for livelihood.

Pepper prices have hit an all time low and a slow wilting disease affecting plants have hit these farmers hard. Unable to pay back loans, many are taking their lives.

Mathew says, "Mariyakutty had taken loans close to Rs three lakh, but could not pay back as crops failed. There was continuous pressure from the banks. Unable to face anyone, she committed suicide."

In Kerala, more than 400 farmers have killed themselves in the past four years. The suicides forced the state government to waive interest on loans below Rs 50,000 taken after the year 2000.

However, the administration has no answers to how a farmer will repay the principal.

The more than 2 lakh cultivators in Wayanad collectively owe people close to Rs 1200 crore.

Says a farmer Sanadanan, "The loans should be completely written off and interest-free finance should be given. Reviving pepper cultivation is impossible. Production is so little that this suicide problem will spread to other fields."

While losing loved ones is what is bothering the residents of Wayanad, suicides are becoming a major election issue in this district. For the Left, this is an opportunity to win more seats here.

Says Opposition leader, V S Achuthananthan, "The peasants are the main force of our community. They number close to one crore, they do not like the UDF government since due to their agricultural policy, nearly 1500 of their community has committed suicide."

The woes of the farmers of Waynad might have found its way into the manifesto of both the LDF and the UDF.

But what both the fronts have failed to explain is a solution which can solve this problem which is fast evolving into a social one.