A 34-year-old farmer who was reportedly distressed over damage caused to his crops due to some unknown disease committed suicide in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, police said on Monday.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday expressed deep sorrow over the incident and asked Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu to provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the family of the deceased farmer.

Durgesh Kumar Nishad, a resident of Matarodih village, was found hanging from a tree on Sunday at a field where he had sown paddy, said Monika Pandey, the Station House Officer of Utai police station.

As per preliminary information, he had taken four acre of farm land on lease from another villager and cultivated paddy. However, his crop was completely destroyed recently, she said.

On Saturday evening, the farmer went to the field and did not return. Some locals found him hanging on Sunday morning and alerted the police.

The farmer said in a suicide note found at the spot that he was upset over the crop loss and that had compelled him to take the extreme step, the official said, adding an investigation is underway.

Minister Sahu visited the deceased's house on Monday and gave his family members a cheque of Rs 4 lakh on behalf of the government.

"Today, I visited the house of young farmer in Matarodih (Machandur) village who took the extreme step after being disturbed over crop loss due to the disease.

"I have expressed my condolence to his family and given them an assistance of Rs 4 lakh on behalf of the state government," Sahu tweeted in Hindi.

"I have directed the officials concerned to ascertain the new disease targeting crops and chalk out a way to deal with it," the Minister said.