India’s farmers between policy promises and harsh realities: Double income or double crisis?

By Vikas Meshram* 

In a country that proudly calls itself agrarian, the continuing suicides of farmers and agricultural labourers remain a moral and policy failure. The scale of distress is not anecdotal; it is starkly visible in data compiled by institutions such as the Centre for Science and Environment. In 2021 alone, 10,881 people linked to the agricultural sector died by suicide—an average of nearly thirty lives lost every day. This was the highest figure in five years, surpassing even 2016, when 11,379 such deaths were recorded. These numbers are not just statistics; they represent broken households, abandoned fields, and a deepening crisis that refuses to recede.

The timing of this spike is telling. While the country grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers were also engaged in prolonged protests against the Centre’s three agricultural reform laws. Amid this turbulence, states like Maharashtra reported 4,064 suicides, followed by Karnataka with 2,169 and Madhya Pradesh with 671. Even relatively prosperous agricultural regions such as Punjab and Haryana recorded distressing figures. The question that emerges is unavoidable: why did suicides rise again despite repeated policy assurances and relief measures?

The answer lies in a convergence of structural vulnerabilities. Climate unpredictability has reduced crop yields, while pest attacks have compounded losses. At the same time, market volatility has meant that even when production is adequate, prices often fail to cover rising input costs. The promise of remunerative pricing through Minimum Support Prices remains uneven in practice, leaving many farmers exposed to market forces they cannot control. Faced with repeated losses, farmers turn to credit, often from informal lenders, only to find themselves trapped in cycles of debt. The social humiliation and psychological burden that follow can become unbearable.

Against this backdrop, the political slogan of doubling farmers’ income appears increasingly disconnected from ground realities. For many, farming has ceased to be a viable livelihood. The consequences are visible in two parallel trends: rising suicides and a steady exodus of the younger generation from agriculture. The crisis, therefore, is not only about income but about the erosion of dignity and hope in rural life.

Compounding this distress is the growing water crisis, which threatens to turn an already fragile situation into a full-blown emergency. Data from the Central Water Commission indicates that by April, water levels in major reservoirs had dropped to nearly 30 percent below capacity. This decline, attributed partly to the El Niño effect and prolonged rainfall deficits, has created drought-like conditions in several regions. States such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are already experiencing acute shortages, while cities like Bengaluru face severe disruptions to daily life. The crisis is no longer confined to agriculture; it is spilling over into urban existence and industrial activity.

The deeper issue is structural dependence. Nearly half of India’s cultivable land still relies on monsoon rains, making agriculture highly vulnerable to climatic fluctuations. Even forecasts of a “normal” monsoon bring only cautious optimism, as variability within the season can still devastate crops. In such a scenario, resilience—not optimism—must become the guiding principle of policy.

What is needed is not another round of slogans but a grounded reassessment of agricultural policy. Ensuring fair and predictable pricing for farm produce is essential. Equally important is addressing the cost side of farming by reducing dependence on expensive inputs and strengthening institutional credit systems to break the hold of informal lenders. Climate adaptation must move from rhetoric to action, with investments in drought-resistant seeds, diversified cropping patterns, and localized extension services.

Water management requires urgent and large-scale intervention. This includes expanding irrigation infrastructure, improving storage and distribution efficiency, and reviving traditional conservation practices that have sustained communities for generations. From households to industries, a culture of water conservation must be actively cultivated. Without this, the twin crises of water scarcity and agricultural distress will reinforce each other in dangerous ways.

At its core, the tragedy of farmer suicides is about the collapse of viable choices. When a farmer or agricultural labourer takes their own life, it reflects a situation where every other door appears closed. Reopening those doors demands coordinated action—from governments, civil society, scientific institutions, and markets. It also requires acknowledging uncomfortable truths about policy gaps and implementation failures.

India’s food security rests on the shoulders of its farmers. Allowing their distress to deepen is not just an economic risk but a moral failure. The question is no longer whether farmers’ incomes can be doubled; it is whether their lives and livelihoods can be secured with dignity. Until that question is answered with sincerity and action, the promise of prosperity will continue to ring hollow against the silence of fields left behind.

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*Independent journalist