More than 55 per cent agricultural households in the agrarian State of Haryana owns less than one hectare land and earns an average monthly income of less than Rs 5,000.
The poor socio economic conditions of agricultural households (farmers) in Haryana are brought out in the National Sample Survey Office report on agricultural households in the country.
The survey shows that rural Haryana has about 60.7 per cent agricultural households. While majority of more than 55 per cent owns less than one hectare land, just 0.5 per cent owns more than 10 hectares land.
As per the survey, the agricultural households, with less than 0.01 hectares land earns average monthly income of
Rs 3,993 while the income extends upto Rs 9800 in case of farmers who owns land 0.41 -1 hectare land. A highest number of 26 per cent agricultural households own land between 0.01 – 0.40 hectare.
About 94 to 99 per cent of agricultural households in all the States, except Haryana and neighboring Punjab, operated some land for agricultural activities during the 365 days prior to the date of survey, stated the survey.
It stated, “In all major states excepting Haryana, Punjab, Kerala, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu more than 90 percent of the agricultural households had some other type of land along with the homestead land, whereas about 12 to 16 percent of agricultural households of these States possessed only homestead land.”
In the NSSO (70th round) for which data was collected on the agricultural year spanning July 2012 to June 2013, an agricultural household was defined in the survey as a household receiving value of produce of more than Rs 3000 from agriculture with at least one member self-employed in farming.
The survey showed that rural India had an estimated 90.2 million agricultural households— about 57.8 percent of the total estimated rural households in the country.
Notably, a survey released last year had revealed that over 80 percent farmers in Haryana are reeling under debt. The study interviewed 535 families in 23 villages of three districts of Haryana — Yamunanagar, Bhiwani and Sirsa — which are highest, medium and lowest agricultural productivity districts respectively.
It had found that 80.56 per cent of farming households in Haryana are under debt. Over 84 per cent marginal farmers are under debt, whereas figure is 80.25 per cent and 79.46 per cent in case of small and medium farming households respectively.
In the past few years, Haryana has witnessed rise in farmers’ suicide cases. Earlier this year, Haryana had reported more than 15 deaths of affected farmers who either committed suicide or died of shock and heart attack due to crop damage in April - May.
According to National Crime Record Bureau, Haryana registered 374 farmers suicide in 2013, against 83 in neighbouring Punjab.
With farmers facing heavy losses on account of crop damaged by freak weather conditions or other factors, Haryana Government has recently announced to bring all growers under insurance scheme by setting up an Insurance Corporation.
The State Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar had said that an agricultural insurance scheme of Rs 500 crore is being prepared with the support of the Central Government for this purpose and would be announced soon.