Last week’s hailstorm and unseasonal March rain not only destroyed the rabi crop of Indrajeet but also took his life. Devastated as he was at the destruction in his farm, the farmer from Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh committed suicide on his field, leaving behind a grieving family and unpaid debts.
According to his sister Rani, it was not just the hard work put in the crops but also the debts Indrajeet had taken for the treatment of his daughter-in-law which drove him to take the extreme step.
Mahipal, a 42-year-old farmer from Chata district, died of shock and cardiac arrest after seeing the destruction of his crop by the unseasonal rain and hailstorm which have lashed most parts of the State. The farmer from Lodholi village in Barsana area of the district was taken to hospital where he was declared brought dead.Besides Mahipal, at least three more cases of farmers’ death due to heart attack were reported from Unnao and Agra districts of the State.
Agricultural experts argued that the unseasonal rain came at a very crucial period for the crops so the adverse impact was substantial on the produce. Most of the standing crop was waiting to be harvested.
Reacting to the crisis, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced compensation of Rs. 9,900 per hectare if the loss of crop is more than 50 per cent. But experts suggest that the move may not end up helping the affected farmers because of the discretion of the local revenue officials involved in measuring the loss of crops.
Sudhir Tanwar, president of Kisan Jagriti Manch and a member of the State Planning Commission, told The Hindu that the government announcement leaves out the farmers whose loss is less than 50 p.c. of the total crop.