PATTERNS AND DETERMINANTS OF FARMER SUICIDES IN INDIA

Farmer suicides in India are a complex issue driven by various economic and social factors. India's farmer suicide rates vary sharply among the states, and causes are disputed. This study examines what factors may drive the farmers to take this extreme step, using the Newey-West estimator, taking into account heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation. The study uses secondary dataset from 2001 to 2022, and found that the parameters such as credit allocation, rainfall, agricultural production, and agricultural labourers are negatively associated with the farmer suicides, while the parameter like credit outstanding is positively associated with the farmer suicides in India. Keywords: Farmer Suicides, Socio-Economic, Environmental And Financial Factors