11 more Vidarbha Farmers Suicides reported in December

11 more Vidarbha Farmers Suicides reported in December: Farmers Demands Policy Driven Relief Package not ‘Contractor or Bank Driven’

Nagpur -12^th December ,2011

The suicide spiral of debt trapped vidarbha farmer who are deep grip of agrarian crisis since 2005 due successive crop failure and volatile market prices of cotton has added 11 more victims as these 11 farmers suicides cases surfaced in first 10days of December 2011 when they failed to get any rlief from state due to technical hurdles created by state election which has administration to announce any relief to 5 million dying farmers of Maharashtra on the pretext of so called code of conduct enforced due on going local body election Maharashtra taking toll to 715 in year 2011, ill feted farmers are

1.Mahadev Sapkal of Talked in Buldhana

2.Bhimrao Kulsange of Dhanoli in wardha

3.Bhattu Padalwar of Itgoan in bhandara

4.Shankar Katkar of Dadhipidhi in amaravati

5.Bhagwan Meshram of Kelzara in yavamal

6.Gajanan Bhongale of Belora in yaatmal

7.Balabhau Rathode of Uamardari in washiml

8.Kishor Talmale of Umaripathar in Yavatmal

9.Sanddep Khadase of Kkolpakhindi in Yavatmal

10.Tukaram Satpute of Kenwad in washim

11.Devidas Sarodkar of Thad in Buldhana

Kishor Tiwari, president of Nagpur-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), activist group working for cotton farmer rights who are documenting these farm suicides since 1997 informed in a Press release today.

‘we are demanding long term solution to agrarian crisis not any package which are mostly contractor driven and designed to rehabilitation of the ill managed politician runs cooperative banks. our farmers are working for handful MNCs who are manufacturing Gm seed, fertilizer and pesticides and revival od own agriculture is must which is not being done ’ Tiwari said.

The vidarbha agrarian is result of wrong policies promoted by state and situation of cotton growers in west Vidarbha has worsened when ban of cotton export imposed last year and massive crop failure this year .

"There is a need for state government's intervention in this regard. The government should provide at least Rs 6,000 per quintal. The chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised that he would talk with the union government for better support price for the raw cotton. However, nothing has been done in this regard," Tiwari alleged.

Tiwari continued, "The government did not concede our demand of providing food security to desperate, distressed and marginal farmers even. The government needs to behave sensibly and responsibly to address farmers' woes and prevent the prevailing spate of suicide in the killing fields of Vidarbha." If the cotton growers do not get better price this season, the situation will assume drastic proportions, he cautioned.

VJAS has urged Govt. of India to send team of expert to assess the Bt. Cotton crop damage in Maharashtra and west vidarbha in particular where cotton farmers are killing themselves ।VJAS has been demanding hike in cotton MSP Rs.6000/- per quintal and relief package to dying cotton farmers of region, Tiwari added.

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