{"id":206889,"date":"2026-03-12T15:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/?p=206889"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:37:30","slug":"a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a heartbreaking incident from Rangamati village in Chandrakona, West Bengal, a potato farmer named Rakhal Ari has died by suicide, allegedly due to mounting debt and agricultural losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Burden of Debt:<\/strong> Rakhal had cultivated potatoes on four bighas of land, investing approximately \u20b91.40 lakh, which he raised by mortgaging his wife\u2019s jewelry and taking loans. However, the market price for potatoes plummeted to a mere \u20b9320 per quintal, a figure far below the cost of production. Facing immense financial pressure and constant worry about his family of four, Rakhal consumed pesticide and passed away at a hospital on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Political Fallout:<\/strong> The farmer\u2019s death has sparked a fierce political row in the region. Opposition parties, including the BJP and CPM, have blamed the state government for failing to provide adequate support or price protection to farmers. Chandrakona\u2019s TMC MLA, Arup Dhara, defended the party&#8217;s position, stating, &#8220;Rakhal was a party worker, and we are standing by his grieving family in every possible way.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This tragic incident highlights the growing crisis among Bengal&#8217;s farmers, where a bumper harvest is proving worthless against crippling market conditions and rising debt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a heartbreaking incident from Rangamati village in Chandrakona, West Bengal, a potato farmer named Rakhal Ari has died by suicide, allegedly due to mounting debt and agricultural losses. The Burden of Debt: Rakhal had cultivated potatoes on four bighas of land, investing approximately \u20b91.40 lakh, which he raised by mortgaging his wife\u2019s jewelry and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-206889","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-latest-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming! - Ekjhalak English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming! - Ekjhalak English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a heartbreaking incident from Rangamati village in Chandrakona, West Bengal, a potato farmer named Rakhal Ari has died by suicide, allegedly due to mounting debt and agricultural losses. The Burden of Debt: Rakhal had cultivated potatoes on four bighas of land, investing approximately \u20b91.40 lakh, which he raised by mortgaging his wife\u2019s jewelry and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ekjhalak English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T09:37:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T09:37:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jn6789798i-21.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"884\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Author\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Author\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Author\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2675bfb1eca0a20263624f94dfec6582\"},\"headline\":\"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming!\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-12T09:37:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-12T09:37:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":207,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Latest News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming! - Ekjhalak English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-12T09:37:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-12T09:37:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2675bfb1eca0a20263624f94dfec6582\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ekjhalak English\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2675bfb1eca0a20263624f94dfec6582\",\"name\":\"Author\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0fd978b4804468ab91928125a98887321ede379b64bd386185f1c8a0f8b3dba0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0fd978b4804468ab91928125a98887321ede379b64bd386185f1c8a0f8b3dba0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0fd978b4804468ab91928125a98887321ede379b64bd386185f1c8a0f8b3dba0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Author\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsfed.in\\\/english\\\/author\\\/author\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming! - Ekjhalak English","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming! - Ekjhalak English","og_description":"In a heartbreaking incident from Rangamati village in Chandrakona, West Bengal, a potato farmer named Rakhal Ari has died by suicide, allegedly due to mounting debt and agricultural losses. The Burden of Debt: Rakhal had cultivated potatoes on four bighas of land, investing approximately \u20b91.40 lakh, which he raised by mortgaging his wife\u2019s jewelry and [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/","og_site_name":"Ekjhalak English","article_published_time":"2026-03-12T09:37:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-12T09:37:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":884,"url":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jn6789798i-21.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Author","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Author","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/"},"author":{"name":"Author","@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/2675bfb1eca0a20263624f94dfec6582"},"headline":"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming!","datePublished":"2026-03-12T09:37:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-12T09:37:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/"},"wordCount":207,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Latest News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/","url":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/","name":"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming! - Ekjhalak English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-03-12T09:37:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-12T09:37:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/2675bfb1eca0a20263624f94dfec6582"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/a-crop-of-despair-bengal-farmer-commits-suicide-after-huge-losses-in-potato-farming\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Crop of Despair: Bengal Farmer Commits Suicide After Huge Losses in Potato Farming!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/#website","url":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/","name":"Ekjhalak English","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/2675bfb1eca0a20263624f94dfec6582","name":"Author","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0fd978b4804468ab91928125a98887321ede379b64bd386185f1c8a0f8b3dba0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0fd978b4804468ab91928125a98887321ede379b64bd386185f1c8a0f8b3dba0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0fd978b4804468ab91928125a98887321ede379b64bd386185f1c8a0f8b3dba0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Author"},"url":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/author\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}