Trichy: With four farmers in Perambalur and one in Ariyalur districts reportedly succumbing to the medical ailments caused after spraying pesticides in BT cotton fields recently, an 18-year-old farmer belonging to Venganur village in Ariyalur district became the most recent casualty.

Though the teenage farmer was hospitalised, a day later, he succumbed to the ailments at Thanjavur government medical college hospital on Sunday morning.

Police sources identified the deceased as Loganathan, 18, son of Palanisamy hailed from Angiyanoor village near Venganur in Ariyalur district. The 18-year-old on Saturday evening was said to be spraying pesticide for well grown cotton fields of his father’s.

Since the cotton plants were tall on par with the victim's height, sources said that Loganathan raised his arm to a maximum possible extent for covering the cotton cultivation with pesticides.

However, in the process, Loganathan was said to have heavily inhaled the pesticide and felt uncomfortable while leaving home. On Saturday night, as Loganathan complained difficulty in breathing, he was rushed to Kizhapalur Primary Health Centre (PHC) by his father. After getting treatments, Loganathan returned to his home in Angiyanoor.

However, by the wee hours of Sunday, around 3 am the victim's difficulty to breathe aggravated and was rushed to Thanjavur Medical College hospital. After being admitted at the hospital around 5 am, the victim despite intensive treatment breathed his last. Subsequently, victim’s mother Muniyammal lodged a complaint with Venganur police on Sunday morning. After post-mortem, the body of 18-year-old Loganathan was handed over to his parents.

Sources said that Loganathan was the second recorded casualty after spraying pesticide in a cotton field and fifth overall casualty in the Ariyalur and Perambalur districts. Despite cotton farmers falling prey to pesticides in cotton fields, organic farming activists alleged that district administration and agriculture department has failed to sensitise the farmers about the precedence and prevent them from using excessive pesticides.

“Farmers should be sensitised about proper usage of pesticides, excessive dosage and subsequent inhalation may result in deaths. It is the responsibility of government to educate cotton farmers,” an organic farmer under the condition of anonymity said. When contacted, a senior official with Ariyalur agriculture department said that sensitisation meeting was conducted at the recently held farmer’s grievance meeting. A short film has been planned to be screened for farmers at their villages insisting to use a proper dosage of pesticides he added.

