KARNATAKA- Farmers Suicides-Signs of Distress in Rural Economy

Farmers' Suicides Signs of Distress in Rural Economy Muzaffar Assadi MORE than 20 peasants in the northern districts of Karnataka Bidar, Raichur, Gulbarga, Dharwad have committed suicides over the last three months by consuming pesticides. The heavy losses they incurred due to crop failure and also mounting debts to the moneylenders seem to be the main reason. Bidar district stood first in the tally of deaths-13 peasants killed themselves here. It all started in Bhalki taluk last year when a peasant Shivaraj of Siddeshwara village committed suicide on December 12, Initially it was treated and viewed as an isolated affair of an individual peasant. Soon it began to occur in Raichur, Gulbarga and Dharwad in the northern Karnataka, This suicide spree is now slowly filtering down to plains areas of Malnad (Chickmagalur district). The earliest such incidents were among the tur growing peasants and later on, those growing chillies and paddy.