KENDRAPARA: Already buried under debts, crop loss proved to be last straw for this farmer of Sapanapur village, 40 km from here. He reportedly died of cardiac arrest on his field on Friday after witnessing wilted paddy crops.The farmer Surendra Acharya (56) had grown paddy on four acres after availing a loan of Rs 40,000 from village cooperative society to purchase seeds and fertiliser. The deceased had also borrowed 5,000 from a self-help group (SHG). But, the recent untimely rains laid waste to his crops and put paid to his hopes of a bumper harvest.With no alternative source of income, he found it difficult to keep a family of five going. “Had there been no unseasonable rain during harvest season we would have been busy harvesting paddy within a week. My husband died of shock due to crop loss,” said a his wife Sabi. The untimely rains played havoc with the economy of Surendra and thousands of farmers, said Pramod Sahoo, a villager.Large numbers of farmers spent a lot of money for raising crops after purchasing paddy seeds and fertiliser at a premium. ‘‘It is high time authorities provided succour to the affected farmers,’’ said Umesh Singh, president of District Krusak Sabha.In Odisha more than 80 per cent of the population depend on agriculture which has suffered badly this year from feeble monsoon and untimely rains.
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