Farmer suicide cases rise in Orissa, govt clueless

UNFORTUNATE: More than 10 farmers have allegedly committed suicide in Orissa due to crop failure.

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Bhubaneswar: In the last one month more than 10 farmers in Orissa have allegedly committed suicide due to crop failure.

Jasoda Barik has two kids to feed but there is no earning member in the family now. Her husband, a small time farmer, allegedly committed suicide on Thursday.

He husband had taken a loan of Rs 10,000 from a local cooperative society to raise crops in his five-acre land but due to irregular rain his crops were attacked by pest.

“He was worried that the pests have eaten away his crops. Moreover he had taken a huge loan,” says Jasoda.

Farmers groups and the Opposition are blaming the state government for not providing adequate support system to the distressed farmers.

“The pesticides which are available in the market are black marketed and the needy farmers do not get it in time. Moreover the poor farmers when they see that they cannot repay the loan that they have taken from private money lenders, come under serious mental pressure and commit suicide,” says farmers’ leader in Bolangir, Basudev Pati.

While the number of alleged suicide cases is increasing in the state, the government is looking out for long-term measures to help the farmers.

“We have taken a number of steps to check the trend of farmers’ suicide. My government is focusing on expansion of irrigation network to save the farmers from drought situation,” says Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.