Cuttack, Oct. 23: A farmer allegedly committed suicide at Nuasahi of Banki block in the district after being unable to repay his loans following crop loss.

The deceased, Bankabihari Rout, 51, ended his life by consuming poison last night.

So far, though the phenomenon had been restricted to the western districts of Odisha, this time, the farmer's suicide was reported from the coastal belt.

Today, the farmer's death over crop loss and lack of initiatives on part of the state government in declaring the region as a drought-hit one triggered widespread resentment in the area. Demanding a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a job for the deceased's family, local villagers staged a demonstration and blocked Banki Road at Kacheri Chhak.

Bankabihari's family members alleged that he did not have own land and was engaged in farming on a sharing basis. The co-operative society, therefore, did not provide him loan. "My father had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from various individuals for agriculture purpose. He had been depressed for the past one week after the crops failed due to less rainfall," said Sukant Rout, son of the deceased farmer.

Sukant said that last night his father went to sleep after the dinner. At night he consumed poison, and his family members found him in a deteriorating condition around 4am. Though they had rushed him to hospital, doctors declared him brought dead.

The family members alleged that Bankabihari used to cultivate paddy and other vegetables, and it was for the second consecutive year that the crops had failed. "There was tremendous pressure on my brother as he was unable to repay the principal amount and interest after the crops had failed," said Ramesh Rout, brother of the deceased.

Ramesh said the moneylenders started visiting their house frequently to recover the loan amount - for which his brother had been mentally depressed.

"An inquiry is being conducted to ascertain the exact reason behind the death," said Banki sub-collector Manoranjan Mallick.

Most of the people in Banki block depend on agriculture, while the vegetables, especially grown by the local farmers, are supplied to various parts of the state.

However, the farmers here face difficulties as the standing crops in the agricultural fields get affected in case of floods and subsequent droughts, which have become a major concern for them. As there are no canal facilities for irrigation in the Banki sub-division, it has also compounded the farmers' problems.