Shunning stubble burning, Hoshiarpur shows the way

CHANDIGARH: Hoshiarpur and Ropar in the Kandi belt were the most successful districts in Punjab in checking stubble burning of paddy during the harvest season this year.

Hoshairpur tops the chart with 785 villages that were able to control stubble burning while in Ropar 600 such villages figured in the list, as per the data received from the state agriculture department that monitors farm fires.

There are 2,376 villages where farmers chose ways other than burning to manage the stubble. There are 12,000 villages and 13,007 panchayats in the state.

Though the total area under stubble burning fell by 13% the state as compared to last year, data shows that half of the area under paddy cultivation witnessed straw burning despite the government’s push for mechanised disposal of crop residue.

Pathankot has 411 villages where paddy stubble was not burnt at all and Nawashahr has 362.

In Tarn Taran district of the Majha region, 48 were successful in checking burning of straw while in Amritsar, there are only 6 such villages. Patiala has 42 villages from where no farm fires were reported while Kapurthala and Moga have 20 such villages each.

RAMPANT STRAW BURNING IN MALWA

The villages of the Malwa region were the least successful in curbing straw burning. Sangrur and Faridkot topped the chart as none of the villages in these districts were able to check the practice.

In Muktsar, only four villages succeeded in curbing stubble burning while in Ludhiana there were two such villages.

Faridkot has nine villages where only one-fifth of the area under paddy cultivation was put under fire.“In some villages particularly in Malwa region, farmers’ unions forced paddy growers to burn the crop on small patches as a mark of symbolic protest, which added to the number of villages that resorted to burning.

The number of fields where stubble was burnt was more than 43,000 this year even as 25,922 machines were provided to farmers on subsidy to cut the straw.

THERE ARE 2,376 VILLAGES IN THE STATE WHERE FARMERS CHOSE WAYS OTHER THAN BURNING TO MANAGE THE STUBBLE

HAVE ACHIEVED A LOT THIS TIME: AGRI SECY

“We have achieved a lot this time in checking stubble burning and we hope to cut it drastically next kharif season,” said state agriculture secretary KS Pannu.

Notably, the Punjab government had told the Centre that the state can’t do much to check stubble burning this time as the machines supplied on subsidy covered only 30% of the 74.5 lakh acres under paddy.

In 2017, stubble was burnt on 44 lakh acres, which was 62% of the total area under paddy cultivation. This year, paddy straw was burnt over 36 lakh acres, which was 49% of the total area under cultivation.