Express News Service By

CHITRADURGA/TUMAKURU/RAICHUR/HAVERI/MYSURU/MANDYA:Seven farmers ended their lives in the state on Tuesday.

Inability to repay debts due to crop losses is said to be the reason behind the cases — two in Chitradurga, two in Tumakuru and one each in Raichur, Haveri and Mandya districts. In Mandya, a farmer was hospitalised after a suicide attempt.

Sources from the families of the two deceased farmers in Chitradurga and Molakalmuru taluks of Chidtradurga district say the burden of debts and failure of crops was the reason behind this. Siddesh (35) of Koonabevu village and Giriyappa of Kondlahalli village hung themselves from trees.

Giriyappa, a sericulturist, had cultivated mulberry plants in an area of 13 acres and had a debt of Rs 8 lakh drawn from banks and loans from private financiers. The silk worming failed and Giriyappa was unable to repay debts. Drought from the last four years and lack of proper compensation for the loss of crop also played its part.

Siddesh had taken money from a private financier. He had gotten into a fight with his family too on the day he committed suicide.

Challakere constituency MLA T Raghumurthy, who attended Siddesh’s funeral, paid Rs 5,000 for the funeral.

The farmers in Tumakuru, who died are 21-year-old Anil and Rangswami(50). Anil of Doddakoppalu village near Huliyurudurga consumed pesticide after losses in his sericulture farm. He was engaged in sericulture on four acres of dry land and had taken 1 more acre of irrigated land on lease from another farmer. He suffered a huge loss as the price of silk dropped from Rs 350 per kg to Rs 120. He had taken a gold loan of Rs 2.8 lakh from Canara Bank by mortgaging ornaments, Rs 2 lakh from a private money lender and Rs 50,000 from a bank.

Rangswami was cultivating on land that he had taken on lease and suffered losses from the crops. He had also taken money from moneylenders to get a house under a government scheme. He was found hanging from a tree at Narayanakere village near Hebburu on Tuesday.

In Raichur district, Venkappa Harijan (45) a farmer from Uppar Nandihal village of Lingsugur taluk committed suicide by consuming poison. With this, the district has seen five suicides in the last one month.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said that untimely rains in summer had damaged standing crop in 40,000 hectares in the district. The government has released Rs 100 crore for compensation of which Rs 67 crore has been disbursed, he said.

In Haveri, Nagappa of Kallapur village in Byadgi taluk, ended his life on a railway track near Yalavagi village in Savanur taluk. Family members say he had availed of a bank loan of Rs 2 lakh and borrowed Rs 1 lakh from private financiers. Relatives say he took this step after he was unable to repay these loans.

Haveri SP N Shashikumar told Express that this was the ninth case of suicide by a farmer in the district since January this year.

In Mandya, Suresh (52), a farmer from Doddakayathanahalli in K R Pet taluk, committed suicide by hanging himself in his house. Suresh owned 8 acres of dry land had borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from a bank and Rs 4 lakh from private financiers to drill a borewell. He was pushed into the financial crisis as the water table depleted and his bore well dried up. Crash in prices of tomato and banana put him further into debt.

Kumar (45), a farmer from Harave village in Pandavapura taluk attempted suicide by consuming poison near Pandavapura bus stand. Kumar, who owns 25 guntas, has borrowed over Rs 3 lakh and was under pressure from moneylenders.