Bhubaneswar: At least 38 farmers have committed suicide in different parts of the state between 2016-17 and 2018-19, Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo told the Odisha Assembly Wednesday.
However, he dismissed allegations of crop loss and debt burden as the reasons behind the issue.
Replying to a written question of Congress MLA Suresh Routray, Sahoo said that not even a single farmer had committed suicide due to crop failure or inability to repay loans in the last three years.
The government had received reports that 16 farmers had ended life in 2016-17 while 20 farmers took the extreme step in 2017-18 and two in 2018-19, he said.
According to the statement given by the minister in the House, the highest of eight farmers from Bargarh district have committed suicide during last three years while seven were from Ganjam district, four from Jajpur, three each from Sambalpur and Nuapada, two each from Dhenkanal, Balasore, Khurda and Nabarangpur and one each from Rayagada, Gajapati, Angul, Boudh and Kalahandi districts have ended their lives.
The investigation reports from district-level officers made it clear that barring three cases, investigation of which is yet to be completed, no farmer had committed suicide due to agricultural problems. The government cited several reasons for the suicides including fatigue, illness, depression, consumption of alcohol and family quarrel.
The minister said investigation is still underway to know the reason behind the death of Bargarh’s Brundaban Sahu, who committed suicide November 1, 2017. The death of Sahu had rocked the House then.
Interestingly, before completion of the investigation into the alleged suicide of farmer Manoranjan Sahu of Ganjam district (March 17 2017), the government claimed that the reason was not related to crop loss or farm loan burden.
In another such case, the minister said, “No conclusion has been drawn from the inquiry report.”
Earlier, the government had told the House that it had received suicidal death of 11 farmers 2013-14, the number was five in 2014-15 and 175 in 2015-16.
Elaborating steps taken by government for farmers’ welfare, Sahoo said special agriculture budget is being presented every year and the allotment is substantially enhanced every passing year. The income of farmers has been doubled and the government is implementing Kalia scheme to empower the farmers by providing financial incentives.