Mumbai, Mar 5 (IANS): A farm-panel on Friday submitted a '10-point programme' intended to arrest the agrarian crises in Maharashtra and end the saga of farmers' suicides in the state, a top official said here.

The Vasantrao Naik Shet Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM) President Kishore Tiwari, accorded a Minister of State status, formally submitted the 10-point charter to Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte.

On his part, Kunte directed the Agriculture Department to initiate the necessary measures in the matter on priority, Tiwari told IANS after the meeting.

The parched Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh regions of the state have been under the grip of a severe agro-crisis since the past nearly 25 years, forcing thousands of woeful farmers to end their lives and the trend continues even now.

"Despite measures, relief packages or loan-waivers worth over Rs five-lakh crore given by successive governments, the core issues remain untouched and need to be addressed on top priority to bring succour to the peasantry," Tiwari told Kunte.

The 10-point programme includes: state to address input cost reduction and output cost intervention; shifting to crop pattern as per demand of the local and global market; to stop frequent failure of the credit-cycle in new farm credit policy; secondary livelihood management income activity; core issues of irrigation, water conservation, soil health revival; proper risk management with effective crop insurance and climate change issue.

Besides, Tiwari called for proper incentive for agroforestry, promotion of pulses and oilseed crops; professional quality health and education rural infrastructure; food security; and improvement in the quality of local governance.

The VNSSM chief contended that the rural agrarian distress also remained unresolved owing to a hostile administration, non-cooperation of the bankers, ill-intended interventions and complex issues pertaining to social-engineering, besides the economic crises in the country, especially in the past seven years.

Tiwari assured Kunte that the VNSSM has a detailed ready plan to tackle all these issues which can eliminate 'directionless relief or loan waivers packages' and end the cycle of farmers suicides on a permanent basis.

In the past 25 years or so, Tiwari said an estimated 35,000-plus farmers, including several women, have resorted to the extreme step of suicide as they could not bear the burden of pending loans, leaving behind a large number of destitute widows and orphans across the state.