Khammam: Tenant farmer dies by suicide, explains plight of farming community in selfie video

A 40-year-old tenant farmer, Banoth Veeranna, died by suicide in Khammam after crop losses and mounting debts of ₹15 lakh. He recorded a video explaining tenant farmers’ struggles and urged the government to provide support and subsidies.

Khammam: A tenant farmer in the district died by suicide, reportedly after suffering financial losses and mounting debts caused by crop losses in this season.

According to family members, Banoth Veeranna (40) of Shankaragiri thanda in Nelakondapalli mandal cultivated four different crops on ten and a half acres of land which he took on lease.

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He cultivated paddy, cotton, sugarcane and chilli. But due to continuous heavy rains and the cyclone, the crops were damaged badly affecting the yield. He was not able to get a profitable price for the agricultural produce he was able to harvest.

As a result, he incurred a debt of Rs 15 lakh which he invested in crops and the land rent. Distressed at his bad financial situation, he attempted suicide by consuming pesticide on Saturday and died on Sunday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Khammam.

Veeranna recorded a video while consuming pesticide at the farm field and sent it to his family members and friends through social media. In the video, he explained about the problems being faced by the farming community, especially tenant farmers.

He appealed to the Congress government to look into the difficulties of the farmers, who were suffering financial losses due to lack of prices for the agricultural produce. The government should support the farmers and extend subsidies to tenant farmers, he said.

Based on the complaint of his family members, Nelakondapalli police registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.