New Delhi: The latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said that a total of 10,546 people associated with the agriculture sector (including 4,633 farmers/farmers and 5,913 agricultural laborers) died by suicide during 2024, which is 6.2% of the total suicide victims (1,70,746) in the country. However, the number of such suicides declined by more than 2% in 2024 compared to 2023, when 10,786 people died by suicide, making it the second consecutive year of decline. In 2023, the numbers had declined by more than 4% compared to 2022. State-wise data shows that Maharashtra is recording the highest number of such suicides (3,824), followed by Karnataka (2,971), Madhya Pradesh (835), Andhra Pradesh (780) and Tamil Nadu (503). According to the 2011 census, about 26 crore people (about 55% of India’s workforce) were employed in agriculture, of which about 12 crore were farmers and 14 crore were agricultural labourers. The NCRB clarified that the data only reflects the profession of people who died by suicide and has no connection with the cause of suicide. Also, the higher numbers in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh correspond to areas where farmers mainly cultivate cash crops like cotton and sugarcane.People distressed by the failure or low production of such crops are forced to turn to moneylenders to meet their cash needs, and some of them even take extreme measures. Crop insurance, affordable agricultural loans and increased coverage of income support schemes may have led to a slight decline in the number of suicides.