Potato farmer commits suicide

A tribal farmer has
committed suicide in West Bengal's Burdwan district as he allegedly failed to get a good price for his potato crop.
50-year-old Guddu Murmu, a share cropper had consumed pesticide at his home at Chhatimdanga village in Bhatar area last evening and was rushed to Burdwan Medical College Hospital, where he died midnight last night.
His son claimed that he was depressed as the current low price of potato did not allow him to raise enough money to repay loans of about Rs 60,000.
Confirming the death, block development officer Pronoy Mondal said a probe was on into the death.

Panchayat deputy pradhan Nikhil Mondal, however, claimed that the man had committed suicide due to family problems.

Non-availability of potato bonds caused farmers to block NH31 at Magurmari in the north Bengal district of Jalpaiguri district.
The farmers buy potato bonds to store their potato produce, which they sell when the price of the tuber is high.
While they claimed that middle men had created the shortage, cold storage authorities said the bonds were exhausted.
The blockade continued for about an hour and led to disruption of traffic on the highway.