Farmer commits suicide in Wayanad

After a brief interval, the district witnessed another debt-ridden farmer committing suicide on Saturday. Kumbaleri Mathokki Abraham (Babu), 48, from Ambalavayal, allegedly killed himself by consuming pesticide after failing to withstand the pressure of piling debts.

According to the family members, he had taken loans to the tune of Rs 7.5 lakh from various banks and money-lenders. He had also availed an educational loan of `6.5 lakh from the South Malabar Gramin Bank apart from a loan from the Ksheera Sangham. Though Babu was rushed to a private hospital at Sulthan Bathery late on Friday, he died in the early hours of Saturday.

Babu, who owns around one acre of land, was indulged in cultivating ginger and banana on leased land. He was in deep financial trouble after the prices of both crops crashed. Though the government announced last month that a sum of Rs 13 crore would be allocated towards the subsidy to ease the burden on the crisis-hit ginger cultivators in the district, the amount has not been distributed yet.

The price of banana, which was trading at Rs 40 per kilo a couple of months ago, fell to Rs 12-14 in September, and it was alleged that the authorities failed to stabilise the price or offer support to the  farmers.