Farmer ends life following failed cotton crop in Gujarat

A farmer who had consumed pesticide due to financial worries after his cotton crop failed died at a hospital in Jamnagar in Gujarat Tuesday, police said.

Anubha Devisinh Jadeja (49), resident of Bhatel in Devbhoomi Dwarka district, had been admitted at a government hospital in Jamnagar on December 7, said an official from Khambhaliya police station.

"He breathed his last around 2 AM yesterday," the police officer said.

"According to his family members, Jadeja had taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh from a private bank for sowing cotton over 2.5 acres of land at Bhatel village. But the crop failed and he was under tremendous stress," said the official.

Several cases of farmers committing suicide following a crop failure have been reported in Gujarat in the recent months. The state received only 76 per cent of the average rainfall this year.