Since June 2005, more than 5,000 desperate farmers have killed themselves across India, leaving their wives and children in even worse financial situations than when they were alive.

There are no authentic figures on the exact number of farm suicides in India, but the Maharashtra government accepts a figure of 1920 from January 1, 2001 to August 19, 2006. The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a farmers' movement, puts the toll at 782 from June 1, 2005 to August 26, 2006. And, in the last three months, there has been a suicide every eight hours.