Bargarh: A young farmer from Baragada district, known as the state’s rice bowl, has petitioned to the President, Prime Minister, and Odisha Chief Minister, seeking permission for euthanasia after being unable to sell his paddy harvest at government procurement centres.
The farmer, identified in various reports as Gopal Sahu of Melchhamunda village, submitted the petition through the Bargarh District Collector.
According to reports, Sahu had cultivated paddy during the Rabi season after borrowing money from multiple sources, expecting to repay loans by selling at the mandi at minimum support prices. However, authorities have not issued the required token, leaving his produce unsold and deteriorating, especially with monsoon rains affecting stocks in procurement yards.
Facing mounting pressure from lenders and urgent family needs, including expensive medical treatment for his ailing mother, Sahu has already sold part of his crop to private traders at significantly lower prices. He alleged repeated visits to the district collector’s office, cooperative societies, and helplines yielded no resolution, leaving him in severe mental and financial distress. “Shopkeepers are demanding money, hospitals are demanding money, and our paddy is just sitting there unsold,” he told the media.
This is second such request from a farmer from Baragada district. Rohit Bhoi of Talmenda village under Bheden block
had sought permission for euthanasia in May alleging severe financial distress after failing to sell his kharif paddy despite waiting nearly six months for procurement. He submitted a petition to the District Collector during a public grievance hearing at Bheden.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has sharply criticised the BJP-led government in Odisha, accusing it of apathy towards farmers. “Sahu repeatedly approached government officials to sell his paddy and faced disappointment at every step. He was compelled to take the extreme step of writing to the President seeking euthanasia. It is highly shameful that the district administration accepted such an application. This clearly indicates that the government wants farmers to commit suicide. In a state where a farmer is forced to seek euthanasia, the people can judge for themselves how successful the government’s farmer welfare policies really are,” said BJD MLA Barsha Singh Bariha.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty claimed that farmers across the state are facing difficulties in selling their paddy at the mandis. “while the double-engine government boasts of providing Rs 3,100 per quintal to farmers, on the other hand it is deducting up to 15 kg through cut-and-shortage practices, thereby exposing its double standards. Farmers are being forced to take to the streets every procurement season. Due to mandi-related problems and token-related issues, farmers are unable to sell their paddy,” he alleged.
