India, Dec. 31 -- Maharashtra and Karnataka have recorded farmer suicide rates 2.5 times the national average since the mid-1990s, according to a 28-year analysis of NCRB data.

More than 3.9 lakh farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide between 1995 and 2023, with the crisis peaking in the early 2000s.

The rapid spread of Bt cotton, rising input costs and repeated crop failures played a major role in deepening distress in key regions.

Southern and western India account for nearly three-quarters of all farmer suicides, pointing to strong regional concentration.

Schemes such as MGNREGA helped reduce suicides after 2010, but recent data shows a sharp rise again in 2023, especially among agricultural labourers.

Maharashtra and ...