RAICHUR: As many as 19 farmers have committed suicide in Raichur so far this fiscal. All of them belonged to the SC/ST or OBC communities. According to data provided by the district agriculture department, till November 19 this year, the number of recorded suicides was 19. One case of suicide in Devadurga taluk is yet to be confirmed by the department.
The number of suicides last financial year was 35. This year, the highest number was recorded in Sindhanur, which has the highest irrigated area. Sindhanur taluk has witnessed nine deaths so far.The Joint Director of agriculture department, Chetana Patil, said that Sindhanur also has dry land. “We can’t say that farmers of irrigated land committed suicide. There is a lot of dry land in this taluk as well,” she said.
In Manvi, five farmers ended their lives, while three farmers in Lingasugur took the extreme step. Raichur and Devadurga taluks witnessed one suicide each. According to data, seven farmers among the 19 were from the SC, two from ST and 10 from OBC families. The state government has paid compensation to the families of 10 deceased farmers. While three cases were rejected, six are pending for redressal.
The farmers here have been in dire condition since the region received less than 50 per cent of normal rainfall this monsoon. The adverse conditions led to crop loss in around 1.25 lakh hectares, following which the state government has sought Rs 90 crore as compensation for the district from the central government.
In the rabi season, farmers one again hoped for rain. In the wake of deficient rainfall, the agriculture department is now predicting crop loss to the tune of 1.63 hectares. In a bid to prepare themselves for the difficult times ahead, the farmers are turning towards the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Over 70,000 farmers enrolled in the scheme this kharif season, and they have started registering themselves for the rabi season too.