As farm fires erupt, Punjab struggles to distribute stubble mgmt machines
Crossing the deadline by almost a month, the Punjab government is still distributing the subsidised machines for in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy stubble. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), in February, had asked the government to complete the distribution by August
Chandigarh : Crossing the deadline by almost a month, the Punjab government is still distributing the subsidised machines for in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy stubble. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), in February, had asked the government to complete the distribution by August.
The burning of paddy straw has already started and in 10-15 days, it is expected to touch the peak when crop harvest will be on full scale across the state.
From a budget of ₹500 crore sanctioned by the Centre for crop residue management (CRM), 20,270 machines for paddy stubble were to be given to farmers, farm organisations and self-help and cooperative groups. So far, 7,521 machines have been disbursed to the beneficiaries.
Punjab has already logged 81 farm fires since September 15 with Amritsar topping the chart with 51 cases.
Farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are seen as a major contributor to pollution in the region, with the national capital and its surrounding areas bearing the major brunt every year.
Last year, the machines were still being delivered till November when the paddy harvest was nearing end, leading to underutilisation of the machines, officials familiar with the development said.
Punjab agriculture director Jaswant Singh said the slow pace of CRM machines’ delivery is due to procedural delays, as there is a system of checks and counter checks so that machines and subsidy are delivered to the rightful beneficiary. “We have sped up the process of delivery of machines and are hoping to finish the distribution soon,” he said.
“The state government must ensure that all new procurement of CRM machines envisaged for harvesting season 2024 must be completed and made available to the individual (farmers) and the CHCs latest by august 2024,” said the directions from CAQM as recorded in the action plan submitted by Punjab Pollution Control Board in February.
In 2023, Punjab’s total farm fire count dipped by 25% as per the PPCB and Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) figures. Against the total farm fire count of 49,922 in 2022, the numbers came down to 36,623 last year. However, the area under stubble fire increased by 27% to 19 lakh acres in 2023 against 15 lakh acres in 2022.
As per the proposal, machines to be given to farmers include super straw management system to be attached with harvest combines, happy seders or smart seeders, paddy straw choppers and shredders, mulchers, hydraulic reversible ploughs, super seeders, zero till drills, balers, rakes, shrubmaster, crop reapers (tractor mounted or self-propelled) and self-propelled reapers-cum-binders.
The scheme to give subsidised machines for in-situ (mixing paddy stubble in the soil) started in 2018 and until 2023, a sum of ₹1,370 crore had been spent on subsidy. This year, ₹500 crore has been allocated for the scheme. Since 2023, the state had to contribute 40% of the total sanctioned outlay and rest is contributed by the Centre.
Paddy in Punjab is sown over 30 lakh hectares and at least 22 million paddy straw is produced. From the total, about 25% of straw is used in boilers and big industrial units and rest is vulnerable to be burnt. Owing to a very short widow between paddy harvest and wheat sowing, farmers prefer to burn the paddy crop residue to ready farm for the wheat cultivation.