Farmer from Dhop village in Mohadi ends life in well, days after telling guardian minister of distress

A farmer from Dhop village in Mohadi died by suicide early on Thursday, jumping into a private well on his farm. Rajendra Amar Sapate, 55, was the farmer. Grief spread across the village within moments of the news. For the people of Dhop, the morning did not dawn like any other.

Only five days earlier, on October 3, Sapate had put his distress directly before Guardian Minister Dr Pankaj Bhoyar. The minister was on a drought inspection tour that day. As the problems of farmers in the area were being heard, Sapate came forward and described his situation. "Sir, the time has come to end my life," he said then. He had also said that if things stayed as they were, he would be forced to take his life.

This year he had planted paddy. But the rains failed, and the tank that supplied water to his field did not hold enough. The crop's growth stalled, and the standing paddy on four and a half acres withered before his eyes for want of water. Even after the crop was lost, his costs did not fall. The cost of farm implements, labour, fertiliser and other inputs kept rising. The cost of cattle fodder also went up and milk production fell. Animal husbandry, the side occupation to farming, was not giving him the support he needed either.

Sapate's son was studying in Akola and his daughter in Nashik. Money had to be sent every month for their education. "There is no crop in the field, no money in hand, how do I pay for the children's education?" was the worry he lived with. The crop that was the mainstay of the year's income was gone, and concerns over household expenses, the burden of debt and the cost of education all came together. After raising his problems, he had hoped something would change. He was waiting for help.

Rajendra Sapate's death has taken away the mainstay of a family. It has also brought back into focus the problems of farmers living under the shadow of drought. Questions of drought, irrigation, crop-loss compensation and financial aid have returned to the fore. The incident, coming within five days of he raising his plight before the guardian minister, has deeply pained villagers. "When a farmer speaks, his plight should be acted on in time, not merely heard. If the government does not step in now, how will such incidents stop?" This question is simmering in farmers' minds. There is unrest in the village.