Only Option to Hang Ourselves: Jharkhand Farmers on Mounting Debts

Farmers in Jharkhand’s Deoghar have lost lakhs of rupees.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan
Video Producer: Aastha Gulati

“Tomatoes do not sell in the market at any price. No one buys it. How will we feed our children? There is no option but to hang ourselves.”

Tiwari Prasad Varma, Farmer

In Sarva block of Jharkhand’s Deoghar, hundreds of farmers who have been cultivating tomatoes have lost lakhs of rupees to this day. However, rains in the last month has spoiled their crop, making the desolation evident on their faces.

These farmers have been cultivating tomatoes in abundance, putting all their capital into the process, but untimely rain has spoiled their crop and increased their debt, forcing many like Tiwari Prasad Verma to think that the only option is taking their own life.

There are hundreds of farmers in this area who are facing this problem, but they say that Randhir Singh, the agriculture minister, has done nothing to help farmers in distress.

They expect that they will be compensated the sum insured for them under the Fasal Bima Yojana. Yet, despite promises, Deoghar’s farmers have not been given any benefits.

In Sarva, huge patches of agricultural land are used by farmers to cultivate, but they claim that there has been no compensation even after registering for the crop insurance scheme.

“We haven’t gotten any compensation. We have taken loans to cultivate crops. We have no option now. How will we repay our loans?”

Harish Yadav, Farmer

Wheat farmers are suffering from the same problem. Most of the farmers have taken bank loans, and since their crops have been destroyed, clearing their debt is the biggest problem. Women have also started cultivating in the fields. They worry how they will feed their children.

“How will we take care of our children? It is a big problem. We do not know where their next meal will come from.”

Meena Devi, Farmer

Who will buy damaged crop, farmers ask.

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