Problem

Suicides by farmers and agricultural labourers are recorded every year as a distinct category of national suicide statistics

National
State

The National Crime Records Bureau reports suicides by farmers — defined to include those cultivating their own, leased or others' land — and by agricultural labourers as separate categories in its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The Ministry of Agriculture restated this definition to Parliament in December 2021, and in July 2024 the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Lok Sabha that published ADSI reports were then available only up to 2022. This entry records that the problem is measured and reported nationally. It deliberately does not quote annual counts: the figures could not be checked against NCRB's own tables when the entry was written, and they should be added from those tables rather than from secondary reporting. Evidence confidence: High that the category is measured and published; counts pending verification.

This is the most specific entry on this branch of the catalogue. The evidence behind it is below.

Who is responsible

National Crime Records Bureau · Constitutional or statutory institutionCompiles and publishes ADSI from State and UT reports.
State Governments · State GovernmentReport the underlying suicide data to NCRB.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare — Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare · Ministry or Department

Evidence and sources

Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) — National Crime Records Bureau · Official data or datasetNCRB's annual publication, which reports suicides by farmers/cultivators and agricultural labourers as separate categories. Annual counts were not checked against the NCRB tables for this entry.
Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) - 2022 — Open Government Data Platform · Official data or datasetCatalogue of ADSI 2022 datasets published by NCRB on data.gov.in.
Women Farmers in The Country — reply in Parliament · Official statementMinistry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, 10 December 2021. Agriculture Census 2015-16: female operational holders operated about 11.72% of total operated area; also restates the NCRB definition of 'farmer' used in suicide statistics.
Mental Health Programmes — reply in Lok Sabha · Official statementMinistry of Home Affairs, 30 July 2024. NCRB publishes suicide data in ADSI; published reports were then available only up to 2022.

Alongside this

Crop cultivation earns agricultural households less than their wages do
In NSO's 2019 survey (NSS 77th round, agricultural year July 2018–June 2019), an agricultural household earned an average of ₹10,218 a month. Wages were the largest source at ₹4,063 (39.8 per cent); net receipts from crop production were ₹3,798 (37.2 per cent), farming of animals ₹1,582 (15.5 per cent), non-farm business ₹641 and leasing out land ₹134. When imputed costs such as family labour are also deducted, crop income falls to ₹3,058 and total income to ₹8,337. These are averages for households meeting the survey's definition of an agricultural household — more than ₹4,000 of agricultural produce and a member self-employed in agriculture — so households living entirely on agricultural labour are outside them. This entry uses the 2019 survey; no later round is used here. Evidence confidence: High for 2018-19; the current position is not established.

Do you support action on this problem?

Who is responsible

Evidence and sources

Alongside this

Crop cultivation earns agricultural households less than their wages do