A marginal farmer of Atabira block in Bargarh district, who drank poison two days back to end his life, died at the VSS Medical College Hospital in Burla on Friday night.
The farmer took the extreme step reportedly after incessant rains destroyed his paddy crops, thus reducing his chances of repaying the loans he had incurred.
Gokul Mirdha of Manapada had consumed pesticide following extreme depression. He had also suffered heavy losses last year when cyclone Phailin damaged the crops on six acres of land he had cultivated as a share cropper.
Although he was reeling under the burden of loans taken from money lenders, he had to borrow money again this year. This time he had undertaken cultivation in three acres of land as sharecropper in addition to his own land.