'The government's priority is not farmers.'
A total number of 479 farmer suicides were reported in Maharashtra in March and April this year, state Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makrand Patil told the state assembly last week.
The minister said 250 farmer suicides were reported in March in Marathwada and Vidarbha, while 229 suicides were reported statewide in April.
Maharashtra had earlier admitted that 767 farmers have died by suicide between January and March 2025.
"The government is planning to spend Rs 86,000 crore to construct the Shaktipeeth Expressway which will connect Nagpur to Sindhudurg in Konkan. This at a time when a road already exists between Nagpur and Konkan. My suggestion is simple; spend that same amount, Rs 86,000 crore, on rain-fed agriculture. You will definitely see a change in the lives of farmers of Vidarbha," Vijay Jawandhia, founder-member of the Shetkari Sanghatana, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff in the concluding segment of a two-part interview.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is from Vidarbha and yet the maximum number of farmer suicides are from the region. Why has nothing changed?
Yes, we have a chief minister from Vidarbha but unfortunately he is not the chief minister for the farmers of Maharashtra.
Vidarbha is cursed because even if the chief minister of Maharashtra is from there the locker key is always with the people who rule western Maharashtra. Look at the MIHAN (Multi Modal international Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur) project.
We have been talking of MIHAN for so many years and yet there is no outcome in terms of industrial development. On the other hand, all the textile mills of Vidarbha have shut down. Cotton, water and electricity are in abundance. Yet sadly, Vidarbha's electricity is supplied to Pune city.
Why is money order economics that works in the Konkan not working in Vidarbha?
Our population has decreased. There were 11 members of Parliament representing Vidarbha; today 10 MPs represent Vidarbha due to the fall in population.
The government has to go out of the box and give subsidy to rainfall agriculture. They are not doing it.
If the situation goes on in the same way then in the near future rain-fed agriculture will not exist. The situation is getting from bad to worse.
Why is no political leader taking firm action to end farmer suicides?
M S Swaminathan has won all the prizes that you name in the world except the Nobel Prize. He put down a formula to solve Indian farmers' problems. The government needs to give C2 + 50 percent (MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production).
The government is not willing to pay farmers what Swaminathan suggested. There is no political will to take money out from the Union Budget and pay farmers.
When it comes to paying farmers the government says it will lead to inflation.
Is what the government saying about inflation true? If prices of vegetables increase it will pinch everyone, isn't it?
There is a struggle between the low cost economy of the Indian villages and the high cost economy of Indian cities.
What we are doing is that we are telling villagers to stay in a low cost economy and pushing the people of cities into a high cost economy.
We encourage city-dwellers to take loans and buy cars or two-wheelers to keep the money supply running. Buy microwave ovens and other consumer goods on loan to pay multinational companies.
This we call free market economics but the fact is the government is purposely keeping villages in a low cost economy to push the city economy.
I often say, India is becoming super India and Bharat is becoming like Somalia.
The biggest proof of that is we are giving 5 kg of free foodgrains to 80 crore people.
Can you tell us what freebies the farmer in a village gets?
He gets 5 kg free of either rice or wheat per month. Secondly, they get 3 gas cylinders free in a year but sometimes they don't get it. Under the Kisan Samman Nidhi they get Rs 500 from the government every month. And Rs 1,500 per month from the Laadki Baahin Yojana scheme.
If there are elections they will get additional Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000 at that point of time.
In other words, will a poor villager get, say, Rs 3,000 per month as subsidy?
Yes, that is the maximum limit.
What is the cost of living per month in any Indian village?
In my opinion you need at least Rs 25,000 per month to live a decent life in any Indian village. But if you have other costs like health or education, then you will need more money.
Prime Minister Modi once said farmers will double their income by 2022.
All those were jumlas. He had stated earlier that he will make Indian farmers self-sufficient in producing lentils and cooking oil which the government will buy from them. This too was only a jumla.
What are the Opposition parties doing?
I want all the parties sit together and ensure that farmers should not get less money than the minimum support price declared by the government.
There are 23 crops that come under MSP. And when the government does not buy from farmers at the MSP rate what excuse do they give?
The government says we don't have money to pay.
Which crops do the Vidarbha farmers produce?
Tur, wheat, jowar and bajra. I personally had to sell my jowar for Rs 1,700 a quintal whereas the price of jowar under MSP was Rs 3,300.
What did the government tell you in the mandi?
The government said there is no way they can procure my jowar. It was a private trader who paid me Rs 1,700 per quintal. This was 20 days ago.
What was the cost of producing 1 quintal of jowar?
I could only cover my cost. Four months of hard work went waste.
You've got to understand the priority of the government is not farmers.
The government is planning to spend Rs 86,000 crore to construct the Shaktipeeth Expressway which will connect Nagpur to Sindhudurg in Konkan. They are interested in that because they want to see SUVs driving on it.
This at a time when a road already exists between Nagpur and Konkan.
My suggestion is simple; spend that same amount, Rs 86,000 crore, on rain-fed agriculture. You will definitely see a change in the lives of farmers of Vidarbha.
It is all about priorities and the government's priority is not the farmer.
© 2025