JAGATSINGHPUR: The death of a farmer, allegedly due to shock in the aftermath of crop loss, has added fuel to the wave of protests by the farming community already under distress due to the damage caused by the unseasonal rains in Jagatsinghpur.
The recent heavy rains devastated paddy and vegetable crops, leaving farmers in financial distress. Meanwhile, Dhruba Charan Swain, a 60-year-old farmer from Chandpura village in Bansha Panchayat died after his paddy crop was damaged by the heavy showers.
Swain had cultivated paddy on one acre he owned and two acres on a sharecropping basis with money borrowed from a money lender. After inspecting his rain-ravaged fields on Thursday, he collapsed and was rushed to the district headquarters hospital. Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack where Swain succumbed.
Jinalata Swain, sarpanch of Bansha panchayat confirmed the incident, stating, the farmer panicked when he realised he could not repay his loan after the crop damage.
Revenue officials including Naugaon tehsildar, visited Swain’s residence to investigate the cause of his death. Villagers are demanding compensation for his family, holding the crop damage responsible for his demise.
Sources confirmed that paddy crops ready for harvest have been completely destroyed due to discoloration and germination caused by the rains making it unfit for sale at procurement centres.
Meanwhile, farmer protests have intensified with demonstrations at Kujang tehsil office demanding immediate compensation. In Biridi, farmers gathered at the revenue inspector’s office in Anakhia, displaying damaged crops and threatening further agitation if their demands remain unmet.
Similar protests erupted in Balikuda, Naugaon, Raghunathpur, Tirtol, Erasama and other areas. Farmers accused officials of conducting superficial surveys.
“Revenue and agriculture officials are preparing damage reports without visiting the fields or consulting farmers,” alleged Babaji Das, a farmer from Anakhia. The superficial survey will deprive affected farmers of the benefits they are entitled to despite their significant losses,” he added.
Chief district agriculture officer, Biswajit Panda assured that field staff have been deployed to assess crop damage. “Farmers should not worry. The administration plans to submit the crop damage report to the government by December 30, 2024,” he said.