Unable to harvest sugarcane during the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, a farmer at Mukunduru Hosahalli in Hassan taluk has burnt standing crop worth over ₹ 2 lakh. With that, thework of his family for over a year, besides the investment of ₹ 80,000, has been reduced to ashes.

Gangadhar Murthy, 63, burnt his standing crop on Thursday and later informed the Chamundeshwari Sugar Factory near Channrayapatna, with which he had an agreement to grow sugarcane in his farm and sell it to the factory. He had grown sugarcane in four acres and set fire to the crop grown in one-and-half-an-acre land.

As per the schedule fixed by the sugar factory, the crop should have been lifted from his farm by the first week of April. The factory had sent around 15 workers for harvest in March. Even as they could start the work, the lockdown was declared to avoid the spread of Covid 19. “A majority of the workers hired by the factory to harvest sugarcane come from Ballari. Soon after the lockdown was imposed, the workers stopped the work and left for their native places”, said Mr. Murthy. He could not get people locally for the work.

He approached the sugar factory officials repeatedly to seek their advice. They advised him to wait for a few more days as theyhad difficulty in arranging for workers during the lockdown.

“I could not maintain the crop with a constant supply of water. The standing crop started to dry. When I lost all options to protect the crop, I set fire to the crop grown in one and half an acre”, Mr. Murthy told The Hindu on Sunday.

He said he had spent on fertilizers, medicine and labour. The total investment would be near ₹ 1 lakh. The factory had agreed to purchase the crop at the rate of ₹ 2550 per tonne. He was expecting around 90 tonnes of sugarcane on his farm.

Mr. Murthy stays hopeful that the remaining crop would bring him money.