30 per cent down: How Haryana aced the decrease in stubble burning

New Delhi, Nov 04: The stubble burning by the farmers in North India has been a major concern as it has been polluting the air in Delhi. While Punjab remains the main culprit, it is heartening to know that Haryana has done extensive work to reduce stubble burning incidents.

Haryana has till November 3 2022 reported 2,377 incidences of stubble burning compared to 3,438 on November 3 last year. This is a remarkable 30 per cent decline.

A report in The Indian Express (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/how-haryana-is-winning-the-fight-against-stubble-burning-8248356/) said that this downward trend has been consistent in the past six years. Haryana has reduced stubble burning instances by over 55 per cent in the last six years. The total number of incidents decreased from 15,686 in 2016 to 6,987 in 2021.

The farmers in Haryana's Karnal said that the reduction was largely due to private contractors providing free balers to farmers and selling crop residue bales to cardboard factories, biomass plans, boilers and ethanol plants at a small markup.

Kuldeep Waraich, lumberdar, Ramba village said that it is like a win-win for the farmers and contractors. The baler costs over Rs 15 lakh and requires three machines tied to a tractor to process paddy into compact bales. It is quite expensive for farmers to purchase despite the subsidy. The baler owners are now using a farmer's land to clear paddy and take bales from crop residue to sell them for around Rs 170 a quintal. The cost is borne by the baler owners and one such baler can clear a 20 acre area quickly. This year more machines are available for use and there is more awareness, Waraich also said.

Officials attributed the decrease in stubble burning to a variety of reasons. These also include cash rewards and subsidies provided to the farmer in exchange for not burning stubble. They have also been asked to practice in-situ and ex-situ crop management. Many farmers are also using super seeders and happy seeder equipment.

To dissuade farmers from burning stubble the Haryana government has issued 1,041 challans and fined farmers in various paddy sowing districts.