Farmers inWest Bengalhave been taking their own lives after struggling to handle rising inflation imposed by the government.
Those working in agriculture have blamed the lack of storage for poor quality crops, which are later burned.
The rise in suicide among farmers has been ignored by the state government, who cite the deaths as being linked to mental depression, rather than falling crops.
Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick told India Today, “Farmers should not be shown in bad light…that they are poor. Farmers in Burdwan have 100 bigha of land.”
However, farmers in Burdwan – one of the worst hit areas – were unable to sell their produce for the minimum cost, as most of them ended up wasted due to lack of cold storage facilities in the area.
A farmer told Headlines Today, “If the government will make some provisions to export the crop then the farmers’ suicide can be reduced. If government does not take proper action, more people will commit suicide.”
“If the farmers will not make any profit by selling their crops then it is definitely going to take a toll on them as a result of which more and more farmers will commit suicide,” another farmer told the publication.
