Indian farmers deep in debt, seek subsidies, help with insurance

A farmer removes dried plants from his parched paddy field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, September 8, 2015. REUTERS/Amit Dave

MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Indian government action to increase spending on irrigation and crop insurance is not enough to end a cycle of indebtedness that has led to thousands of farmer suicides, and a complete overhaul of credit and subsidies to farmers is needed, activists said.

Drought in many parts of the country has hit rice, cotton and other crops, and lower world commodity prices have added to the farmers' plight.