NGO, BIOMASS PLANT HELP KHOSA PANDO IN MOGA SET RECORD

MOGA: Khosa Pando on the outskirts of Moga is one of a kind. With 3,200 acres under paddy, this village is the only bright spot in the district for it has not seen a single case of stubble burning this harvest season.

Behind this encouraging trend is the Guru Sahib Charitable Trust, a villagebased NGO, led by Baba Gurmeet Singh, an MSc in chemistry. He encouraged farmers to manage the stubble instead of burning it by setting up the Udhami Kisan Self-Help Group under which they are provided machines at nominal rates. “We promote natural farming. Stubble burning is injurious for both human and soil health. Last year, 10% of paddy straw was set ablaze in the village, but this time we hope to steer clear,” says Gurmeet Singh.

A private biomass plant at Hukumat Singh Wala village in Ferozepur district also set up a dumping site with a capacity of 3.1 lakh tonnes. So far, 35,000 tonnes of the paddy straw has been stored at the site. “Farmers of Khosa Pando and surrounding villages dump the straw there. This helped curb stubble burning,” he says.

Tirath Singh, a farmer who cultivated paddy on 31 acres, said the Trust head had appealed to shun stubble burning. “He provides machinery for free to poor farmers and takes nominal rent from others,” he says.

“So far, 60% of harvesting is over in Khosa Pando and 40% stubble has been managed. Efforts of the agriculture department and Gurmeet Singh to make farmers aware have paid off,” says agriculture officer Kuldeep Singh.

Sadly, Moga district has recorded 676 farm fires since November 1. This despite 99 farmers of other villages being fined ₹3.1 lakh and 43 being booked for stubble burning after using the reaper.

We promote natural farming. Stubble burning is injurious for both human and

soil health. Last year, 10% of paddy straw was set ablaze in the village, but this time we hope to steer clear.

GURMEET SINGH, NGO head, Moga