Berhampur: Family members of Banamali Penthai, a 64-year-old farmer of Baranga village who allegedly died by suicide on Thursday due to crop loss, revealed that he had visited his fields hours before his death, where he discovered his harvested paddy submerged.
Michhana, the deceased’s daughter-in-law, said Penthai had outstanding loans of around Rs 2 lakh from private lenders. He had been counting on the bumper crop to repay the debt. “The sight of the damaged crops left him in distress,” she said.
The farmer, who owned half an acre of land and share-cropped on an additional five acres, had initially managed to salvage his produce after the early Dec rains. However, the latest spell on Dec 20-21 proved devastating for the crops.
The district administration has formed an official committee to investigate the circumstances leading to Penthai’s death. “The team is verifying different factors, and police are conducting a parallel investigation,” said collector Dibya Jyoti Parida, adding that the family has received Rs 60,000 from the Red Cross.
An agriculture department team has inspected Penthai’s farmland. A team member confirmed crop damage due to unseasonal rain, stating that the exact extent would be determined after a joint survey.
Penthai is survived by his wife, four married daughters and a son who works in Mumbai. His wife and daughter-in-law had been helping him with cultivation, which was the family’s primary source of income.