Monday, January 10, 2011

13 farmer suicides in New Year as cold wilts crop-Times of India

13 farmer suicides in New Year as cold wilts crop-Times of India
TNN, Jan 10, 2011, 10.15pm IST
Read more: 13 farmer suicides in New Year as cold wilts crop - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/13-farmer-suicides-in-New-Year-as-cold-wilts-crop/articleshow/7255429.cms#ixzz1AhnEo8kX
NAGPUR: The unusually cold winter in Vidarbha this year has taken its toll on the cotton crop too. Standing cotton crop in at least two lakh hectares in Vidarbha has been severely damaged by the cold wave that hit the region since January 2, the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti said even as it claimed that 13 farmers have committed suicide in the first nine days of the New Year.

The latest victims of the unending suicide spree by farmers in Vidarbha were identified as

Rameshwar and Babytai Pohekar of Tamaswadi in Amravati, Sunil Bhusari of Shendurjana in Washim, Dilip Belsare of Kawatha, Pramod Uike of Walki, Durpattabai Rathod of Bham, Avinash Wankhede of Asara and Prakash Pawar of Ajanti, Rahul Karthode of Kelzara (all six from Yavatmal district), Ravindra Kodape of Nandapur in Akola, Motiram Mohurle of Susand in Wardha, Kamalkar Sawarbandhe of Asegaon in Bhandara and Chotu Jabhorkar of Takalkheda in Amravati.

"Reports of farmers being shocked by sudden wilting of standing crop of cotton within a night are pouring in for the last one week. The situation is alarming," said Kishore Tiwari of VJAS.

"Farmers are unable to recover the heavy losses incurred in the capital intensive BT crop cultivation," he added. "After excessive rains in October, November dealt a heavy blow, the cold wave conditions worsened the situation. For the ninth consecutive year, the official statistics indicate that farmer suicide rate is highest in the cotton belt of Maharashtra," Tiwari said

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