Patapur: In a major blow to sugarcane farmers at Narsinghgarh village under this police limits in Ganjam district, a major fire destroyed eight acres of sugarcane late Friday night. The produce worth lakhs of rupees was reduced to ashes. This came at a time when the farmers were reeling from the loss of paddy crop due to unseasonal rainfall.
Had it not been doused quickly, the fire would have engulfed the whole village. Before the flames would reach the paddy fields, locals alerted the fire brigade personnel who reached the village and doused the flames.
Among the aggrieved farmers were Kuna Pradhan, Juria Pradhan, Prakash Behera, Bankinidhi Nayak, Gandhu Patra, Kura Patra, Bhagban Pradhan and Seemachanal Pradhan.
Even as the exact reason of the fire was not ascertained, farmers suspected that some miscreants torched the crops over a previous enmity. The incident occurred while the farmers were busy collecting harvested paddy to save it from the unseasonal rain.
The farmers had borrowed loans from private moneylenders and banks to grow sugarcane. They demanded the administration take note of their plight and give a special package along with loan waivers. PNN
