imageISLAMABAD: Farmer suicides in Indian state Maharashtra are intensifying with as many as 1,088 cases reported in 2015 by the end of May. This is almost twice the figure reported just two months ago. Between January and March, the state government had reported 601 cases.

The suicide rate had already begun climbing steeply with the onset of the drought last year which destroyed large swathes of crops, Times of india reported.

Farmers' leaders say the government has failed to intervene in the critical issue of pricing. "The crisis is becoming worse because the cost of planting crops is rising but the sale price is stagnant. The minimum support price for a quintal of cotton is Rs 4,050. But it costs at least Rs 5,500 to 6,000 to grow it, said farmers' leader Vijay Jawandhia.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2015

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