'Why should you, a farmer who owns land, think of killing yourself?" Yunus Khan's question on WhatsApp is rhetorical. An agri entrepreneur from Pusad district in Maharashtra, he is on an unusual WhatsApp group - 'Baliraja', a farmers' hub with over 400 members across the state. Its primary aim is to offer information and advice to farmers in need.

"We help each other," says Khan, an agriculture graduate who has been on the group for a year now. "Things like plant nutrition, soil problems, crop rotation and market prices are important for farmers. We discuss these on WhatsApp."

Sometimes, the messaging service can become an important support group. "We tried to stop 10 suicides across five villages by sending messages on the group," says Amol Sainwar, from Chandrapur village. Sainwar, who comes from an agricultural family, runs a charitable trust, HOPE, in the village which helps farmers find alternate employment in lean season.............Read more

Source web page: The Times of India