KENDRAPARA: A debt-ridden farmer of Kendrapara district committed suicide by consuming poison on Friday night. The deceased was identified as 58-year-old Gouranga Chandra Mekap of Napanga village under Pattamundai block.
He consumed poison on Friday at Govari river bank near his village after suffering crop loss due to pest attack, said sources. The deceased had cultivated paddy on his two-acre land by availing loan of around `25,000 from a local money-lender to purchase seeds and fertiliser.
But, pest attack ruined the hopes of the farmer who was the sole bread winner of a family of five. including two sons, wife and parents. Gouranga’s wife Janaki said the village money-lender had been pressurising her husband to repay the debt amount with interest. “Had there been no pest attack, we would have been busy harvesting paddy in two weeks. But we are groping in the dark now. My husband committed suicide due to crop loss. He was shocked after the crop was destroyed by pest,” she said.
Contacted, Kendrapra Collector Dasarathi Satapathy said, “I have directed the Deputy Director of Agriculture and tehsildar of Pattamundai to submit a detailed report on the incident to the district administration . After getting the report, necessary steps will be taken to provide assistance to the family of the deceased.”
Meanwhile, Gayadhar Dhal, a farmers’ leader of the district, said such suicides in the State prove the farmers are in distress. He added it is high time the authorities provided succour to the farmers affected by crop loss.