AHMEDABAD: While 13 farmers committed suicide in the last three months due to financial distress and fear of crop failure, statistics released by Union agriculture ministry revealed a sorry state of affairs.According to data from the Pocketbook of Agriculture Statistics 2017, which was released recently, the average monthly income of a farmer family in Gujarat is Rs 3,573.“The average expenses of an agricultural household in the state is Rs 2,250 a month, while average receipts are Rs 5,773,” according to the statistics in the pocketbook, the bases for which were June 2012 and June 2013.The average monthly net income of a Gujarat farmer family is thus Rs 3,573. This is one-third the income of farmers in states like Haryana and Punjab. This income is even less than the monthly earnings of farmers in states such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, among others.Interestingly, the 2016 edition of the pocketbook stated that the income of the agricultural households was Rs 7,926.Ajitsinh Vavdi, a farmer from Botad, said there are many small and marginal farming families whose monthly income is less than the average income stated in the report.“There are many farmer families who earn less than Rs 2,000 a month. Many farmers who have sown cotton on one bigha this year were unable to recover even the input costs, leave alone profits,” said Vavdi.Vavdi said that for the monsoon crop, a farmer would spend an average of Rs 13,500 on sowing cotton on one bigha, which includes the cost of seeds, fertilizers, insecticides and labour. In a very good year, the yield would be 400kg, fetching Rs 24,000. This has dropped to 100kg of cotton this year, netting barely Rs 5,000 for the farmer.Sivram Chabhadiya, a large farmer of Nandod village in Vav taluka of Banaskantha, who has about 20 bighas of land, says the monthly income of most farmer families is not more than Rs 3,000.This year is especially bad, as the deficient rain will cause most farmers to be unable to recover even their input costs, said Chabhadiya.R L Siyani, a professor of agriculture economics at Junagadh Agriculture University (JAU), says, “This figure from the government is the average cost. There are more small and marginal farmers in the state and their income is much lower than than calculation indicates. Big farmers are making large amouts amounts but medium and small farmers are suffering.”Vitthal Dudhatara, president of the Gujarat chapter of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), admitted that incomes of farmers are lower than projected.“In Gujarat, the deficient rains and impending drought is pushing farmers to end their lives. The tecent spate of suicides is the outcome of agricultural distress, which has been building among farmers for the last three or four years,” said Dudhatara.The BKS leader said incomes cannot be calculated equally for all farmers as some get canal water almost for free, while others have to use submersible pumps to get canal water, adding to their costs. “The government should provide water to all farmers at a uniform rate,” he said.Farmer activist Sagar Rabari said that while the Union government has announced that it would double farmers’ incomes by 2022, a plan needs to be chalked out raise the income of farmers.“Considering these statistics, a farmer’s income is less than what a construction labourer makes. The government should ensure that farmers are compensated.”Despite repeated efforts, agriculture minister R C Faldu could not be reached for comment.

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