AMBALAPUZHA: Another paddy farmer's suicide, because of the government and banks. Banks refused to pay Rs 50,000 to the farmer who supplied paddy to Supplyco last season. KG Prasad (55), of Ambedkar Colony at Kunnumma, Thakazhi, who was the district president of BJP's farmers' organization Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and the president of BMS Thakazhi Panchayat Committee, took his life by consuming poison.

Prasad's sad conversation before the suicide with his friend, the suicide note and a video have come out. Prasad was crying and telling his friend, a Bharatiya Sangh leader, that he was a failed farmer and was committing suicide. Two months ago, a farmer in Ambalapuzha had committed suicide for not getting the price of paddy.

Prasad, who was farming on four acres in three fields, was in crisis as he could not get a loan and had no money to buy fertilizers and pesticides. Prasad consumed the poison on Friday afternoon when his wife Omana went to work and his son went to school. After taking a video, he spoke to his daughter Athena in Thiruvananthapuram on the phone. Suspicious, the daughter informed her mother. With the help of neighbours, Omana took Prasad to Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. He was later admitted to a private hospital in Thiruvalla but died on Friday night. Relatives alleged that he did not get timely treatment in the medical college and that is why he died. After the post-mortem, the dead body was taken home on a mourning procession from Thiruvalla. Party workers and farmers blocked the Ambalappuzha-Thiruvalla state highway when they reached the Thakazhi temple junction.

Prasad was cremated in the evening. His son Adinik Prasad is a Plus One student. Son-in-law: Faisal. Ambalapuzha police registered a case.

Failure from the government; Banks helpless

The main problem is the failure of the government to repay the price of paddy on time. While the minister repeats that the dues of the banks have been paid, they cannot even apply for loans due to a lack of CIBIL score due to the arrears. The government has not released the debt repayment figures of the banks.

Now is the time to apply fertilizer. As the price of rice for the second crop is also uncertain, farmers have to take loans at exorbitant interest to apply fertilizers. Contractors should be paid Rs 8 crore for water pumped last season. Production bonus is also due. The price of rice has not been fixed even though it has been weeks since the procurement of rice for the second crop after the Puncha crop.

Even if a farmer spends more than 45,000 rupees and cultivates on an acre of land, he gets less than 15,000 rupees.

Solution

In Kerala, the price of rice to be paid in a year is 2600 crores. A revolving fund of Rs 2000 crore should be budgeted or the central government should issue a strict directive to the Reserve Bank to exclude agricultural loans from the CIBIL score.

The campaign that Prasad did not get other loans because the PRS loan arrears affected his CIBIL score is baseless. Prasad has been duly paid for the paddy. The loan has been paid by the government. It is not known whether the banks tried to discourage Prasad from taking the loan by giving excuses.

- GR Anil, Food Minister