Karnataka: 42 farmers have committed suicide in 2 months!
Farmers in the Karnataka are worried about a potential drought because of a lack of pre-monsoon rains, a delay in the arrival of monsoons, and shortfall despite its late entry. Concerningly, in the last two months, 42 farmers have committed suicide across the state.
FollowThe onset of the monsoon, which typically occurs in the first week of June, came much later than usual this year. The rain, though, was minimal. Halfway through July, and there still hasn't been much rain across the state. So farming has slowed to a halt. In many areas, farmers have yet to begin planting crops.
The highest number of farmer suicides occurred in Haveri district in the last two months. At least 18 farmers have committed suicide here. In addition, there were six suicides in the Dharwad district, three each in the Mysore, Shimoga, Bidar and Vijayanagar district, two in the Bellary region, and one suicide each in the Yadagiri, Chikkaballapur, Koppal, and Gadag regions.
Cloud seeding to be done over Karnataka's Haveri after Monsoon shortfall
On Sunday alone, two farmers in the state taken their lives. K Annakka, a farmer in her 60s who was drowning in debt, took poison and killed herself at Shigenahalli in Hagaribommanahalli taluk of Vijayanagara district. She reportedly borrowed Rs 4 lakh loan in Tambrahalli. Her four acres farmland were dedicated to onion cultivation, and for the past three years, they had seen nothing but failure.
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Meanwhile, a farmer named Mallikarjuna Angadi, aged 36, from the village of Hullur, close to Lakshmeshwar in the Gadag district, took his own life after being unable to repay Rs 16 lakh that he borrowed from a private financing company to buy two tractors.
Many small and micro farmers use borrowing to finance the purchase of planting materials like seed and fertiliser. Most of the state's lakes and rivers dried up this summer, and the monsoons couldn't make up the difference. Farmers with loans are suffering as a result. Sowing has failed twice in some areas, costing thousands of rupees. Farmers are having a hard time making ends meet because there is no compensation for failed sowings and no cheap seed is available.
