2 more farmers commit suicide

 Two more farmers committed suicide by consuming poison in the last two days in the State, reportedly due to financial distress.

Jagadish Siddappa Kidiganni, 32, a cotton farmer of Kurgund village in Haveri district consumed poison and ended his life, on Friday night. Villagers rushed him to a community health centre in a vain bid to save his life.

The family of the deceased said Jagadish had availed Rs 2.35 lakh loan from a nationalised bank in Haveri way back in 2010. The following year he borrowed Rs 40,000 from a moneylender to purchase a tractor. Owing to deficient rain in recent years, he suffered crop loss. He was under pressure to repay the bank loan, while the moneylender had seized his tractor.

The family also claimed that he had to give up two acres of land for the Upper Tunga project and was dissatisfied with the compensation paid by the government. All these problems made him take the extreme step, the family said.

Jagadish is survived by his wife and three children. The family has three acres of land and grow cotton, maize and chilli.

Another farmer who ended his life on Saturday was a tobacco grower of Javarikoppalu in Holenarasipur taluk.

Swami Gowda, 50, consumed poison on his tobacco field to end his life.
Gowda had taken a loan from Kaveri Grameena Bank to grow tobacco. However, the crop withered. Upset, he committed suicide, said a villager by name Mayi Gowda.

He had gone to his field on Saturday afternoon and never returned. His wife found his body and rushed him to a government hospital. But it was too late. He has left behind three daughters and wife. No case was registered till late in the evening.

In recent days, five deaths of farmers have been reported. Reacting to the tragic incidents, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appealed to the farming community not to take the extreme step. He advised farmers to be brave in the face of adversity.

Addressing a gathering in Mysuru, the chief minister said when an indebted farmer ends his life, his family will have a heavy cross to bear.

Siddaramaiah said, “I am fully aware of the travails faced by the agrarian community. The government has chalked out many programmes for the welfare of farmers. A separate Price Commission has been constituted to fix a scientific and better price for their produce.”