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Rangamati (Bengal): As of March 15, three potato farmers in Bengal have died by suicide.

Twenty-eight-year old Rakhal Ari was a resident of  Rangamati village under Manikkunda Gram Panchayat of Chandrakona 1 Block in Paschim Medinipur district. A marginal farmer, Rakhal had invested Rs 1,70,000 on potato cultivation efforts this season. As the days rolled on, his family says he realised that he would be losing everything and will not be able to repay his debts. On March 6, he took his own life, his family says. Rakhal passed away on March 11.

Fifty-seven-year-old Sahadeb Nandi, a resident of Amrapat village under Shyambazar Gram Panchayat in Goghat Block 2 in Hooghly district was also a potato farmer. During the second week of March, Sahadeb consumed pesticide.

On March 15, 78-year-old potato farmer Sailen Ghose, of Kadipara village in Kalna Block 2, hanged himself.

The three unnatural deaths within six days have intensified waves of panic over falling potato prices across Bengal. Those who invested in potato cultivation are now living in a state of extreme uncertainty. A majority of these farmers took out loans to fund their cultivation. But the price of potatoes has been falling rapidly every day. On March 16, the price of the most popular Joyti variety of potatoes was Rs 200 per quintal. And there are few buyers.

A farmer’s child eats lunch while his family works in the fields at Rangamati village of Bengal. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee. The Wire has blurred the minor’s face in accordance with juvenile justice laws.

The state government’s Agriculture Marketing Department issued a directive on February 13 stating that the government would procure potatoes from farmers holding Krishak Bandhu cards at a rate of Rs 950 per quintal. Each farmer would be allowed to sell up to 35 quintals (70 packets) of potatoes to the government.

According to the directive, the procured potatoes would be stored under the supervision of the respective District Magistrates. Cold storage facilities were also instructed to keep 30% of their capacity vacant until March 25 to accommodate the procurement.

However, despite the announcement, government procurement has reportedly taken place in only one or two areas in the state. In most areas, farmers say that no potatoes have been purchased from them so far.

As a result, farmers are being forced to store their produce in cold storages at a heavy loss. Most storage facilities are already filled to capacity, leaving farmers with few options. Farmers say that a huge part of this years’ potato output is still lying in the fields, with no buyers in sight.

A farmer gathers potatoes in the field at Joypur of Bankura. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.

At Rangamati, a picture of devastation

Rangamati village is located about 60 kilometres north of the district headquarters of Medinipur and around 10 kilometres from the block headquarter of Chandrakona town. The village is predominantly inhabited by people of belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, who are largely dependent on agriculture. There are no big landowners in the village.

“Most families in this village received pattas (permanent land titles) during the Left Front rule. Earlier, we had to travel outside in search of work. After receiving the land titles, many agricultural labourers gradually became cultivators,” Sanjay Bhuiya, a marginal farmer at Rangamati village told The Wire. He said that most villagers own no more than four to five bighas of land.

During the monsoon, floodwaters from the Shilaboti River........

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