Bathinda: For the first time in over a decade, Punjab recorded fewer than 100 farm suicides in 2024, aligning with a national decline, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on accidental deaths and suicides in India. The national figure dropped from 10,786 in 2023 to 10,546 in 2024. Punjab reported 90 farm suicides—84 by farmers and six by agricultural labourers—a significant decrease from 174 in 2023, 204 in 2022, and 270 in 2021. The report was released on Wednesday.
Farmer Organizations Express Skepticism
Farmer organizations, however, remain skeptical. Manjit Singh Dhaner, president of the BKU (Ekta-Dakaunda), called the figures highly underreported. He cited a 2000-2015 survey by three Punjab universities—Punjab Agricultural University, Punjabi University, and Guru Nanak Dev University—which recorded an average of over 1,000 farm suicides per year in the state. “That survey recorded 16,606 suicides in 15 years. The NCRB figures are underreported,” Dhaner said.
Farmers also criticized the NCRB’s methodology, stating that the bureau has not recorded specific reasons and causes behind farm suicides for seven years. “Often, the cause of death is recorded as something unrelated to agriculture. If a postmortem is not conducted, no FIR is registered. Thus, the suicide does not appear in NCRB records,” Dhaner explained.
Farm Suicides in Haryana
In contrast, Haryana reported 105 farm suicides in 2024, comprising 104 agricultural labourers and one farmer or cultivator.
Year-wise Farm Suicides in Punjab
- 2015: 100 farmers, 24 labourers, total 124
- 2016: 232 farmers, 48 labourers, total 280
- 2017: 243 farmers, 48 labourers, total 291
- 2018: 229 farmers, 94 labourers, total 323
- 2019: 239 farmers, 63 labourers, total 302
- 2020: 174 farmers, 83 labourers, total 257
- 2021: 171 farmers, 99 labourers, total 270
- 2022: 157 farmers, 47 labourers, total 204
- 2023: 141 farmers, 33 labourers, total 174
- 2024: 84 farmers, 6 labourers, total 90
Farm Suicides in India (National)
- 2019: 10,281 (5,957 cultivators, 4,324 labourers)
- 2020: 10,677 (5,579 cultivators, 5,098 labourers)
- 2021: 10,881 (5,318 cultivators, 5,563 labourers)
- 2022: 11,290 (5,207 cultivators, 6,083 labourers)
- 2023: 10,786 (4,690 cultivators, 6,096 labourers)
- 2024: 10,546 (4,633 cultivators, 5,913 labourers)
Poisoning Deaths
A total of 602 farmers died due to accidental intake of insecticides or pesticides in Punjab in 2024, according to the NCRB report. Haryana reported 586 such deaths, Himachal Pradesh 146, and the national total was 7,821.
