ON SEPTEMBER 25, after his usual afternoon siesta and a cup of tea, Shamsher Singh quietly rode his motorbike to his farm and ended his life. "I found him hanging by a rope inside the pump house," says his 17-year-old son, Jaswinder.
Just the previous day, Shamsher had found that his entire cotton crop, spread over 6.5 hectares (ha), half of which he had taken on lease, was hit by pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella)-one of the most destructive agricultural pests that bores into, and devours, cotton flowers and seeds. The 40-year-old farmer of 23 ML village in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan was already distressed by the damage caused to his cotton crop by heavy rain 10 days ago. "Shamsher was still hopeful of a reduced harvest. The pest attack was the last straw. He already had a debt of 18 lakh," says Balwinder Singh, Shamsher's brother. "This is the third consecutive year he has lost his cotton crop to pest attacks. In 2021, it was pink bollworm; in 2022, it was whitefly; and this year, it is pink bollworm again," says Balwinder.
Harjinder Maan, district president of the Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Samiti, seems worried as he speaks to Down To Earth (DTE). Usually, the region does not report farmer suicides as often as the country's other cotton-growing regions do, like Maharashtra. People here can recover from financial losses and distress in a few years, Maan says. "But not this year. It is the first farmer suicide in the middle of the pink bollworm attack, but it is unlikely to be the last," he warns. "Farmers in distress have been calling and I have been counselling them," he says.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara