Farmer attempts to end life over fertilizer shortage in U.P.’s Shahjahanpur

There was uproar on Thursday after a video surfaced showing a farmer attempting to take his own life at a cooperative society facility in Shahjahanpur district, reportedly upset over being unable to obtain fertilizer due to its alleged shortage.

The viral video is said to be from the Audapur cooperative society, where the farmer was seen trying to loop a rope around a ceiling fan and tightening it around his neck. The farmer alleged that authorities were distributing fertilizer only to select people, leaving marginal farmers like him without access. “That is why I am forced to commit suicide,” he said in the video. Locals intervened and stopped him from taking the extreme step.

Several other videos circulating online show farmers waiting in long queues for hours but still unable to obtain fertilizer or seeds. “I have been waiting for over five hours since morning, but to no avail. Artificial hoarding and black marketing are worsening the crisis. We are unaware of where the fertilizer is going,” a farmer said in Lucknow.

The Opposition attacked the government, alleging that while authorities claim there is no shortage of fertilizer in the State, farmers are being driven to desperation. “Farmers throughout Uttar Pradesh are facing severe difficulties due to the BJP government’s ineffective policies, as the lack of timely access to fertilizers, manure, seeds, and essential resources is negatively impacting their crops and livelihoods. This government is fundamentally anti-farmer and detrimental to the poor; on one hand, the minister asserts there is no shortage, while on the other hand, we witness such scenes of long queues and farmers forced to take extreme steps like suicide,” Shahnawaz Alam, national secretary, Congress, said.

Vijay Singh, a farmer from Lucknow, said lower-level officials in some areas were allegedly helping vested interests, including black marketers, leading to long queues and unfulfilled demand. “Fertilizer intended for farmers in Uttar Pradesh are being sold at inflated prices in Nepal. This is also a problem,” he added.