BERHAMPUR: A 71-year-old farmer of Chhatrapur block in Ganjam district has allegedly died of shock after seeing the damage to his paddy crop caused by the recent unseasonal rains.
P Iswar Reddy of Katuru village under Bipulingi panchayat reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest and was admitted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar where he died on Saturday.
Family members said Iswar, a marginal farmer, had grown paddy over five acre of land including three acre of his own land and the rest on share-cropping basis. While his paddy was being harvested on Friday, Iswar reportedly collapsed in the field after seeing the damage to his crop. He was rushed to Chhatrapur hospital and later shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur. As his condition did not improve, he was shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar where he breathed his last during treatment, said Iswar’s son P Chitaranjan.
Iswar was reportedly depressed after suffering crop loss due to the recent untimely rain. As he was a registered farmer, a token was issued in his name to sell 64.11 quintal of paddy. “During the harvest, he realised that the paddy yield would be much less than the token amount. He fell down due to shock and died subsequently,” said G Ghanashyam Reddy, a villager.
Chitaranjan said his father was under immense stress due to mounting debt. Iswar had taken two loans of Rs 70,000 and Rs 95,000 from banks to cultivate paddy. Besides, he had taken Rs 1 lakh from a money lender, he claimed.
Contacted, Ganjam collector Dibyajyoti Parida said the farmer died at Bhubaneswar and the exact reason of his death is yet to be ascertained. He asserted that assistance for crop loss is being distributed in the district. Compensation is also being distributed to farmers who had insured their crops.
Parida further said paddy is being procured from the affected farmers with some relaxations in FAQ norms. The procurement is moving at a snail’s pace but will gather pace after Makar Sankranti festival.
Iswar is reportedly the second farmer to die due to crop loss in Chhatrapur block. Earlier on December 26 last year, Banamali Penthoi (64) of Barang village allegedly ended his life by hanging after his paddy crop over around five acre got damaged due to rains.