Free run ends, rent of balers for straw now ₹1,000 per acre

MUKTSAR : At a time when the National Green Tribunal has banned stubble burning to check air pollution, rent of balers has increased in Muktsar district.

Baler is a machine that is used to compress a cut crop into compact ba les that are easy to handle, transport, and store.

Earlier, baler owners used to provide their services free of cost. They would earn by selling bales to nearby factories. However, this year they are charging farmers anything between ₹700 and ₹1,000 per acre.

At present there are 74 balers in Muktsar district which sell bales to three factories in Muktsar.

G urn am Singh, a baler owner, said he purchased the machine for ₹13 lakh because the NGT has banned stubble burning. “It is a costly project,” he said.

The machine takes an hour to make bales out of straw per acre. One acre generally produces 12-15 quint al of ba les which is sold to factories at a rate of ₹120 to ₹130 per quintal.

Balla Singh, a farmer of Wattu village said, “Baler owners are charging us ₹700-₹1,000 per acre for making bales. The government is not serious in solving the problem.”

Deepa Singh, another baler owner, said, “Factories are not easily accepting the residue and are paying lesser this year on the pretext that the bales are moisture-laden. This effects our earning.”

Meanwhile, senior agriculture official Beant Singh said the agriculture department is providing subsidy to purchase baler. “Farmers should buy the machine by creating cooperative groups because it is expensive,” he said.

Meanwhile, most cooperative societies in the region do not have balers and happy seeder. In Mu k ts ar block, there are 39 cooperative societies. However, none of them have baler and happy seeder.

However, Jaspal Singh, a farmer, said, “We don’t haveany alternative to burning stubbles. farmers can’t afford the rent for balers. The government should provide us financial help.”

Experts from the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, say once the straw is cut, wheat can be easily sown using happy seeder.

Pala Singh, assistant registrar of cooperative societies, Mu k ts ar, said, “These machines are costly and we can’t buy them. Furthermore, they have seasonal usage .”