Sambalpur: A farmer of Julat village under Barpali block in Bargarh district has committed suicide by taking pesticide over crop loss.

Gobardhan Barik, 40, was disappointed after his crops got damaged by hailstorm and untimely rains on Wednesday.

According to a source in his family, after returning from the paddy field Barik was upset. He went to the first floor of the house and took pesticide. After some time he confided to his relative Sudam Barik about his decision to end his life.

Sudam informed his relatives who took Barik to the Bargarh district headquarters hospital. He was later referred to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Science and Research (Vimsar) in Burla where he died on Thursday.

He is survived by his widow and a four-year-old daughter. Barik cultivated two acres by taking loans from the co-operative society and his neighbour for purchasing seeds and pesticides. Villagers and relatives of Barik were shocked when the body reached the village.

On May 3, a farmer of Kanbar village Ankur Bisi took pesticide in front of the office of the district collector. On the next day, Niranjan Bhoi of same village did the same thing. Both of them were sent to Vimsar for treatment.

They returned home after treatment.

A group of farmers of Sambalpur district under the banner of Western Odisha Farmers Co-ordination Committee met the district collector, Samarth Verma, on Friday and demanded compensation for crop loss under the Prime Minister's crop insurance scheme.

Verma assured them that a joint team of revenue and agriculture department would undertake a survey at the field to ascertain the percentage of crop loss. The farmers said the hailstorm on May 30 night had not only severely destroyed the standing crop but also damaged houses in rural areas.