Society and Genetics 134
The Suicidal Consequence of Punjab’s Political and Economic Climate
Hunger and poverty continue to be some of the world’s biggest problems. In the 1960s, India had seemed to come up with a solution to this universal problem with an increase in production of cash crops like corn, wheat, and cotton. Theoretically, an increase in agricultural production would increase the amount of food available and the amount of revenue produced by an economy. The solution seemed simple but over 50 years later, India, especially the state of Punjab, feels the unintended consequences of the movement called the Green Revolution: rural farmers’ suicide. Between 1988 and 2010, there have been a recorded of 1738 of suicides in among 91 villages in Punjab, India (Kaur, 2010, p. 39). Many believe that farmers are under so much debt that they commit suicide to help their families escape the burdens of the debt. A common belief is that many are in debt due to taking out loans for lavish weddings or for unnecessary luxuries like a scooter or car just to keep face in front of their fellow neighbors. However, a recent study conducted by the Punjab State Farmers Commission reveals that only an average of 7.7% of Indian farmer’s indebtedness is caused by marriages and .9% on a car/scooter. An average of 74.8% of their loans were for production purposes such as purchasing a tractor or setting up an irrigation system (Singh et al., 2008, p. 134). This common belief merely disguises the fact that these farmers’ fates were determined long before their choice to take out a loan. It was determined by the political and economic climate of India 50 years ago.
Punjab and its History
Punjab, India is a northern state in the subcontinent of India. For 89 years, it was ruled by the British colonial government and included parts of eastern Pakistan. In 1947, India gained its independence and Punjab became a state of the subcontinent. Punjab is called the Land of Five Waters and for centuries, it was known as the most fertile land in the World due to the five canals that run through it. The prefix ‘Punj’ means five and suffix means ‘ab’ means land;
In the 1960s, after the discovery of the modified seed during the Johnson Administration, the Green Revolution helped Punjab increase its crop production. Currently, Punjab makes up 1.5% of India’s geographic region, yet it has produces 60% of India’s wheat and 35% of its rice in the past 20 years (Parvaiz, 2017). With India’s hunger problem rising, many would suspect that Punjab’s production of crops is beneficial to its economy and people. However, behind the revolution of the genetically modified seed and the rise of technology came the downfall of the small-scale farming in Punjab, India. These seeds require a lot more initial resources such as chemical fertilizers and water usage. With an increase in debt and societal expectations, small scale farmers aren’t able to keep up with resource intensive farming and lack the skill set for employment within public sectors. For many, agriculture is their primary and sometimes only source of income. Indian public policy for agriculture and farmers does not support small scale farming and has created an environment in which ending life has become an option.
Agriculture Under British Rule
One of the largest British contributions to Punjab and its agriculture sector were the five canals that now define the state. This input helped irrigation grow and thus help Punjab gain much more fertile land. With the increase in farming also came an increase in safeguards that protected small scale farmers.
Genetically Modified Organisms have always raised concerns in terms of the healthiness of the food produced and the implication associated with their production. One of the main concerns was about private companies claiming ownership over the modified seeds they produce, which would only allow large scale farmers to be able to purchase the seeds. This would hence create a monoculture (Phillips, 2008). Though many European countries have regulations that dispense these seeds evenly, Punjab does not have that privilege.
One of the major implications of the modified seed was increased water use. In India, after the partition of 1947, tensions between the Central Government and Punjabis began to take place as Punjabi farmers began to feel the effects of Indian policy. In 1976, the Central Government reconstructed the Punjab canals, allowing water to flow to a nearby state called Haryana, without compensating the state of Punjab. Without jurisdiction, the Supreme Court allowed the Indian government to do this and issues about control of the rivers continue to be reviewed by the Supreme Court till this day. With the new seed using three times as more water as conventional seeds, farmers increased the number of tube wells that fed into the land which in turn increased the demand for water even more (Kaur, 2010, p. 44-45). There are about 1.4 million tube wells in Punjab and with a less than 700mm of rainfall in a year, Punjabi farmers have to drill much deeper for groundwater (Parvaiz, 2017). In order to do so, they must purchase expensive equipment such as pumps. One farmer reports a pump costing $4000, which he could not afford using a loan from a conventional bank and thus had to use a moneylender (Zwerdling, 2009). Many farmers have to sell land that has been in the family for generations to large scale farmers. This water intensive farming is not sustainable for small scale farmers and with their debts increasing by the second, they are left to choose between selling their land and being left jobless with no skills or killing themselves to save their families’ futures.
The United States is one of the core countries that has a huge financial sector with Chicago and New York holding the most significance. It an American citizen needs a loan they are able to go to the bank and apply for loan. However, in India, even though there is an increase in institutional lending, there is also significant malpractice that prevents small scale farmers from obtaining loans from official banks. Instead, many farmers resort to moneylenders.