New Delhi, December 17:

Ten more farmers in India’s debt-ridden cotton belt have committed suicide, taking the toll this month to 62, an activist group said on Sunday.

“Yesterday, 14 farmer deaths were reported, of which 10 are suicide cases. The cremation will be held today,” said Kishor Tiwari, president of the Vidarbha People’s Protest Forum. More than 1,000 farmers hit hard by rising debt and falling cotton prices have taken their own lives in the Vidarbha region of western Maharashtra state, according to activists.

“The farmers are in huge distress. Relief funds from the government do not reach them because of corruption and red tape,” said Tiwari. The forum represents farmers in the state’s cotton-growing regions. This month, a farmer was killed when police fired at protestors outside a government procurement office, where farmers sell cotton to the government at the minimum support price.