The grim reality of rural distress continues to claim lives in India, where 899 farmers have committed suicide in the first ten months of 2025 in the country’s Marathwada region alone, according to the offiicial data. The six months between May 1 and October 31, marked by heavy rainfall and floods, proved particularly devastating, accounting for 537 deaths. District-wise, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar recorded 112 suicides, Beed 108, Nanded 90, Dharashiv 70, Latur 47, Parbhani 45, Hingoli 33, and Jalna 32.

The excess rainfall and floods also caused 12 deaths, damaged 1,300 houses, and claimed 357 livestock. Former MP and farmer leader Raju Shetti condemned the government’s inaction, highlighting the economic toll on cultivators. “A banana farmer had a contract for nearly 100 tons of crop at Rs 25,000 per ton. After floods wiped out his harvest, he received only Rs 25,000 as compensation.

Countless others face similar injustice,” Shetti said, underscoring the deepening crisis in Marathwada’s horticulture and agricultural sector. The ongoing spate of suicides highlights the structural neglect and systemic failures in India’s agricultural policies, leaving farmers trapped between natural calamities, inadequate compensation, and mounting debts.  

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)