Bhubaneswar: A septuagenarian farmer in Kendrapara district reportedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide after incurring crop loss due to unseasonal rain, on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Daitari Jena (72), a resident of Kosida village under Derabish police limits.
According to reports, Jena had taken a loan to cultivate his land, but the recent heavy rainfall ruined his entire crop. On Friday, Jena went to his field to inspect the damage and was devastated by what he saw. He returned home and consumed pesticides.
Jena’s family members rushed him to the hospital, where he was declared dead. The incident has left the family in shock and grief.
This is the second such incident in Kendrapara district in recent days. Earlier, another farmer in Kendrapara identified as 52-year-old Gourahari Mallick died of cardiac arrest due to crop loss.
Mallick, a resident of Santhapur village under Derabishi block, was rushed to the district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead.
It was learnt that Gourahari had raised paddy crops on over three acres of land after taking Rs 60,000 loan from Santhapura PACS and Rs 50,000 more from a bank to purchase paddy seeds and fertilisers. However, the unseasonal rains shattered his hopes of a good harvest.
It is worth mentioning that the heavy rainfall has caused widespread damage to crops, leaving many farmers in distress.
