Nayagarh: Two farmers from Odisha’s Nayagarh district died Friday, reportedly due to ‘distress of crop loss’ caused by untimely rain, a source said.
The deceased farmers have been identified as Bhagaban Pradhan (62) and Debraj Barik (65), both from Ranapur block in the district.
Sambhu Prasad Pradhan, son of Bhagaban Pradhan, said, “Due to the unseasonal rainfall, many farmers have suffered crop losses, including us. My father had worked hard in the field and borrowed money for paddy cultivation. He died of a brain stroke in the distress of how to repay the loan.”
Another farmer, Debraj Barik, reportedly died of a heart attack. He, too, had faced crop losses this year, the source added.
Untimely rainfall has brought significant hardship to farmers across Odisha. In the last week of December alone, at least seven farmer deaths have been reported in the state.
In response, the state government Friday declared last December’s unseasonal rainfall a “natural calamity,” enabling compensation disbursement from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to farmers affected by crop damage.
Addressing the ‘Krushi Odisha Conclave 2025’ in Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that farmers who lost 33 per cent or more of their crops due to the unseasonal rain would receive assistance as per the relief code provisions.
PNN & Agencies
