Monsoon Role on Farmer Suicides In India

Farmer suicides in India is the single most manifestation of the distressed and pathetic situation of the agricultural sector and indicates the vulnerability of the rural economy to the vagaries of nature. Frequent failure of monsoon, inadequate rainfall, crop failure, overburden of loan, harassment of moneylenders and lack of accessibility to government support are the prime causes for a farmer ending his life on his own. This paper attempts to estimate the effects of annual rainfall and its shortage, along with gross irrigated area and GSDP, on farmer suicides in India using state-wise panel data for 10 states and for 10 years, 2001-2010. Panel data regression methods of fixed and random effects models are used for analysis. The estimated empirical results show that with increase in annual rainfall farmer suicides decline. This result is strengthened with the findings that monsoon rainfall is associated with reduced farmer suicides, whereas the shortage in monsoon rainfall increases farmer suicides. Also, female farmer suicides are more responsive to rainfall related factors than the male farmer suicides. Though the Indian growth performance is described as spectacular and even frequently celebrated as a shining example, the life of the Indian farmer still reels under the mercy of nature, and the mere fact that a farmer commits suicide is a dent on face of the surging Indian economy.