As per preliminary information, the incident was reported from Bubel village under Puintala block in the district. The deceased farmer was identified as Ramesh Bhoi (50).

According to villagers, Ramesh was applying pesticide in the field on Tuesday when he consumed some of the poisonous chemicals. He was immediately rushed to hospital. However, he died while undergoing treatment at the Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital early on Wednesday, sources said.

Other farmers of the area said that Ramesh had raised crops over an area of ten acres, but huge loss took place due to pest attack. Crops on around five acres of land were damaged due to pest attack and the farmer had lost his mental balance following this, they said.

Claiming that the pesticide available in the local market had proved ineffective, locals accused district agriculture officials of not paying adequate attention to the pest problem.

While the family members of the deceased farmer visited Puintala police station to lodge a complaint, no government official was immediately available for comment.