The ending of lives by farmers in distress is continuing in Gulbarga district.
On an average, every month one farmer commits suicide not withstanding the ever raising financial liability and loss of crops.
According to official figures in the year 2006-07, 10 farmers and in the first month of the year 2007-08 till date three farmers have found ended their lives. 
Joint Director of Agriculture J M Thippeswamaiah said out of the 13 farmer suicides, compensation has so far been provided to families of 10 farmers. Each family is given a compensation of Rs 1 lakh.
In two cases, the claim for compensation has been rejected on various grounds while in the lone remaining case the compensation is yet to be sanctioned.
The compensation is sanctioned after following the prescribed procedure for ascertaining the real reasons for suicide. The force driving the farmer to death is apparently his inability to repay the loan due to loss of crops.

Details
Most of the farmers have committed suicide due to loss of red gram (tur) which is the main commercial crop of the district. Of late, sugar cane growers have also started committing suicide due to the failure of sugar units to crush their produce. In the neighbouring Bidar districts cane growers suicide is taking a serious proportion.
The much publicised visit of chief minister H D Kumaraswamy to Bidar last week could not help put a full stop to suicides. Kumaraswamy had even declared that he would resign as chief minister if the farmers’ suicide continued. Within a couple of days of the declaration, a cane grower ended his life.

Minister’s visit
Meanwhile, Animal Husbandry Minister Revu Naik Belamgi on Monday visited Srichand village in Aland taluk where a tur grower Shankarappa Biradar had committed suicide in December last by consuming poison.
The minister gave a compensation cheque of Rs 1 lakh to the farmer’s widow Sukantamma Biradar. According to the wife, her husband committed suicide as the tur crop cultivated in six acres of land had completely failed.
Expressing his anguish over farmers’ suicide, Belamgi called upon farmers not to resort to the extreme step and orphane their families.
He said the government was sensitive to the grave issue and was doing everything possible to help farming community.