Kannur (Kerala), February 15 A 62-year-old award-winning farmer allegedly committed suicide due to mounting financial debts in Cherupuzha, this district, police said.
The deceased, identified as Ambattu Elias, was a native of Idavaram in Cherupuzha.
According to family sources, he allegedly consumed pesticide and was found in a critical condition at his farm three days ago.
Elias had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in the district, where he later succumbed.
It is suspected that financial liabilities amounting to several lakhs of rupees drove him to take this extreme step.
Elias had been cultivating vegetables on leased land in the hilly regions of Kannur and the neighbouring Kasaragod district for nearly four decades.
He had also planted around 2,500 banana saplings this season, but his income did not match the yield, leaving him in distress, sources added.