Fearing crop loss, 65-year-old farmer hangs himself in Sirsi

SIRSI (UTTARA KANNADA): A farmer hanged himself at his house in Hebbuthi village of Sirsi taluk in Uttara Kannada district. The deceased Jagadish Chenappa (65) is said to have taken the extreme step fearing his inability to repay Rs 3 lakh loan which he had borrowed from a co-operative bank in Andagi village. According to Natraj, Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture, Chenappa cultivated paddy on one acre and 34 guntas of land and areca nut on one acre of land for which he borrowed the loan.

Officials said this is the second death reported in the district so far after a similar incident in Mundgod. “In the wake of scanty rainfall, the state government has ordered a ground-truthing exercise in the district to assess the rainfall scarcity and crop loss. We are doing it,” they said.”

Ground truth is information that is known to be real or true, provided by direct observation and measurement. Surprisingly, the district has received the least rainfall for the first time so far.

“This is the first time such a severe rainfall deficit has been recorded. There was excess rainfall in July, but things changed in August. A rain deficit of 62 per cent was recorded in August and 50 per cent in September so far,” they added.