Gadag: A farmer committed suicide in front of the sugar mill after the owners refused to buy his sugar cane.

Sanna Mariyappa, 55, of Koppal, Thigari village consumed poison in front of Vijayalakshmi sugar mill in the district and died. He allegedly consumed poison after the mill refused to buy the sugarcane harvested by the farmer himself.

Sanna Mariyappa had already written off the sugar cane to Vijayalakshmi sugar mill. Accordingly, once sold, the sugarcane is harvested by the company.

However, as the company delayed the process of harvesting, and there was chance of the sugarcane drying up, the farmer harvested them and brought the lot in front of the mill.

However, it is said that the company owners got angry that the farmer harvested the crop himself and refused to pay money for the same. Sanna Mariyappa is said to have tried in many ways to convince the authorities at the mill, but they sent him back without paying him for the crop.

In this condition, there were slim chances of any other mill buying the sugarcane as it has already been written off to Vijayalakshmi sugar mill.

Thus, not knowing any other way out, Sanna Mariyappa consumed the pesticide that was brought for the crops and died in front of the mill.

A case in this regard has been booked at the Mundargi police station.

Earlier, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had held meeting with sugar mill owners in November and it was decided that sugar mill owners will pay the amount due to the farmers.

Kumaraswamy had directed the sugar mill owners to buy sugarcane from the farmers and start the work on manufacturing sugar and jaggery out of it and reminded them to pay the farmers a fair amount.

Despite loan waiver on crops, meetings with sugar mill owners, the situation has not changed in Karnataka and the number of farmers committing suicide is on the rise.