7 farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha in past three days

Nagpur, Oct 18 (UNI) At least seven farmers committed suicide in the past three days in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, activists said today.

According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a voluntary organisation working among farmers in the region, the seven who took the extreme step included two each from Washim and Amravati districts, and one each from Wardha, Buldhana and Akola districts.

With this, the number of farmers, who had ended their lives in Vidarbha this year had touched 614, a VJAS press release said.

The advent of pests over 30 lakh hectares under cotton had damaged nearly 60 per cent of the crop, pushing the cultivators into dire straits, it said.

The government must start the purchase of cotton simultaneously at all its 436 procurement centres in the region, before Diwali festival, to prevent the situation from aggravating further, it added.

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