259 farmer suicides between May-July 2007: Govt

New Delhi, Aug 24 (UNI) A total number of 259 farmers in the country committed suicide between May and July this year and indebtedness was the most common reason for it, the Rajya Sabha was today informed.

Answering Mr S S Ahluwalia, Minister of State for Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria said the number of farmer suicides in the country in May this year was the highest at 102 followed by 82 in June and 75 in July.

He said the Government had approved a rehabilitation package involving an amount of Rs 16,978 crore for 31 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala, which reported high number of suicides.

The package also included six districts of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra involving an amount of Rs 3,783 crore. The implementation of the package was monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

To a question of Mr Sharad Anantrao Joshi, Mr Bhuria said a fact finding team of the Planning Commission, to study distress and disparities in regional development in Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, had listed reasons like acute distress among farmers due to lack of availability of credit, irrigation facilities, high costs of production, low yield and poor quality seeds and inadequate marketing support.

The government does not propose to constitute a commission to ensure minimum income to farmers to check suicides by them, the Rajya Sabha was informed.

Answering a question of Mr Pyarelal Khandelwal, the minister said the National Commission on Farmers had made recommendations for improving the economic viablity of farming by substantially improving their net income and the policy was formulated on the basis of this Commission.

UNI