Drought, failed crops, mounting loans: 2 farmer suicides in 2 days

The family owns just one acre. Satish’s wife, Vaishali Kolgire, said that as marginal landholders, the couple worked on other people’s farms to make ends meet and pay for their children’s education. Their son is in Class 6 and their daughter in Class 8. “We don’t even have our own house, and the children are too young. The only hope is from the government now,” she said.

Vaishali said she had been with Satish until Thursday afternoon, helping him harvest the dried soybean crop. “Satish said that the same crop had been damaged last year by excess, unseasonal rain and this year by drought, and he was worried about the growing loans,” she said. She returned home in the afternoon. Satish often stayed overnight on the farms where he worked to look after cattle, so Vaishali assumed he would do the same that night. He was found dead the next morning.

Buddhiraj Sukale, Inspector at Ambajogai (Rural) police station, said, “He appears to have taken the step after his crop failed, and was unable to pay the loans. And no suicide note was found,” he said.

Nashik: a respected village figure

A day later, on Saturday, Santu Rayate, 56, a farmer from Khadakmalegaon village in Niphad taluka of Nashik, allegedly consumed pesticide on his farm.

His son, Sham Rayate, 31, said the day began as usual with milking their buffalo. His father left home around 8:30 am, saying he would collect fuel from the petrol pump for the sprayer to be used on their cabbage crop. And then he went straight to the farm. When he did not respond to calls throughout the day, Sham went looking for him, while Santu was found unconscious after consuming pesticide in his farm. He was rushed to hospital but was declared dead.

Sagar Kote, Assistant Police Inspector at Lasalgaon police station, said, “A note was found in Santu’s pocket stating that he had consumed the toxic chemical because he could not repay his loans. We have registered it as an accidental death and will submit the report to the Tehsildar-led committee for any government aid in cases of farmer suicides,” he said.

The family owns 3.5 acres and grows soybean, grapes, tomato and cabbage, among other crops. “Most of our crops dried up this year due to the drought, while input costs, including labour, fertilisers and transport, have risen sharply,” Sham said. Unseasonal rain and other weather events have also been damaging their crops. In February, the family planted watermelon at an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh, but unseasonal rain and a pest attack destroyed most of it. “We realised just Rs 5,000,” he said.

Santu’s borrowings, from friends, a cooperative society and fertiliser shops, had reached around Rs 12 lakh. His wife’s wedding necklace has also been mortgaged. “Now I am completely blank. I don’t know what to do or how to plan for the future,” Sham said.

Sham, who has a Commerce degree, said he looked for jobs in Pune without success. The only offer in Nashik paid Rs 10,000 a month, so he took up farming full-time.

He also pointed out that Niphad taluka has been hit by the drought but is not on the government’s list of drought-affected talukas. “Given the market volatility, the government must regulate the prices of fertilisers and other inputs, or announce a Minimum Support Price for every crop, so that farmers can expect at least some basic amount from the harvest,” he said.

Santu’s cousin, Bhagirath Rayate, said Santu had earlier served as chairperson of the Khadakmalegaon Agriculture Cooperative Society and had helped several farmers. “With his calm and helpful nature, no one in the village would have thought he would take this extreme step. He ended his life because he could not pay the mounting loans. Our demand is that the government should take measures to help distressed farmers amid drought,” he said. Santu is survived by his wife, son and daughter.