The following are the causes of farmer suicide :-
A. Changing cropping pattern
B. Liberalisation policies
C. Debt burden
D. Change of occupation
Choose the correct answer from the options given below
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The spate of farmers’ suicides that has been occurring in the different parts of the country since 1997-98 can be linked to the ‘agrarian distress’ caused by structural changes in agriculture and changes in economic and agricultural policies. These include: the changed pattern of landholdings; changing cropping patterns especially due to the shift to cash crops; liberalisation policies that have exposed Indian agriculture to the forces of globalisation; heavy dependence on high-cost inputs; the withdrawal of the state from agricultural extension activities to be replaced by multinational seed and fertiliser companies; decline in state support for agriculture; and individualisation of agricultural operations. Debt burden is another main reason.