Debt burden drives another farmer to suicide in Odisha

BARGARH : Four farmer suicides in a week’s span has once again brought the focus on farm distress in Western Odisha districts. On the wee hours of Monday, another farmer, identified as Akshaya Dharai (58) of Sadashib Nagar in Tora of Bargarh district, took the extreme step by consuming pesticide. 
Though Tora is an irrigated area, Akshaya committed suicide due to loan burden after his crop failed due to attack of Brown Stem Hopper pest. This is the third case of farmer suicide in the district in a week’s time. While Indra Bariha of Malamunda village in Gaiselet block had taken the extreme step on October 25, Jagdish Budek of Jalagarh in Paikmal had committed suicide on October 27.

As per reports, Akshaya had cultivated paddy over his one acre of land and another eight acres taken on lease. He had taken loan from Tora Primary Agricultural Co-operative Society (PACS) for a power tiller besides an agricultural loan of another `2 lakhs. Though it seemed Akshaya would harvest a bumper crop, there was a sudden attack of Brown Plant Hopper pest on the standing paddy crops in irrigated areas of the district. Despite taking measures to tackle the problem and spraying insecticide several times, he was not able to save his crop. 

With the crop damaged and the burden of loan weighing heavily on him, Akshaya consumed pesticide. He was found in a critical condition by his wife who rushed him to Bargarh District Headquarters Hospital with help of fellow villagers. He was declared brought dead by the doctors.
Akshaya’s son Subhas said his father had borrowed money from friends and relatives for treatment of his ailing sister who succumbed to chronic kidney ailment. 

“My father had hoped to repay the loans including the one availed for agriculture after harvesting the crop. However,  all was lost in the pest attack,”he said and added that there was no other reason for which Akshaya could have committed suicide other than crop failure and debt burden.
Soon after the news spread, Bargarh legislator Debesh Acharya, State BJP vice president Aswini Saranagi, former MLAs Sadhu Charan Nepak and Nihar Mahanand reached the hospital and expressed their condolences.

Bargarh in-charge Tehsildar Daulat Chandrakar, BDO Saroj Kumar Bagh and Assistant Agriculture Officer Rabindra Kumar Sahu also visited Akshaya’s house and went around his farm land which was affected by pest attack. The officials also handed over `10,000 from Red Cross and another `2000 under Harishchandra Yojana to the family of the deceased farmer.