Why do farmers burn paddy stubble?
N ever has paddy stubble burning raised so much hoo-ha as in the past month. The region is covered in a haze, caused partly by the smoke from paddy fields set on fire after the crop is harvested by farmers in Punjab and Haryana. This is the fastest and the cheapest way to ready the fields for sowing. The quality of air in Chandigarh, too, has become ‘very poor’ with its Air Quality Index (AQI) in the 301-400 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) range, against the acceptable limit of 100. This is despite Punjab Remote Sensing Centre’s claim that the incidence of stubble burning is lower this year as compared to the past.
WHAT IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM?
Till a few decades ago, farmers used to harvest paddy manually. This changed when combine harvesters were introduced in the early 1980s. A combine harvester is a machine that could cut, thresh and clean rice in a matter of hours, against days that farm labour took for the same job. As more farmers bought these machines, it became easier to rent these at a nominal rate of ₹1,300 or so for an acre. The only downside is that harvesters leave 80% of straw (6-8 inches long) on the field. Since farmers need to sow wheat within a fortnight of harvesting paddy, they burn the straw (parali )to save both time and cost of labour.
The paddy straw is of no use to the farmer unlike the wheat straw, which is used as animal fodder. The paddy straw has high silica content that animals can’t digest. The Basmati straw with its low silica content can be used as fodder, but Basmati is grown on lower acreage of 4.5 lakh acre as compared to paddy. Consequently, farmers find it easy to dispose of paddy stubble by burning it.
HOW MUCH IS THE AREA UNDER PADDY?
Director of Agriculture, Punjab, Jasbir Singh Bains pegs the area under paddy in the state at 30 lakh acres. He says the state generates 20 million tonnes of paddy stubble every year. The most problematic stubble is that of PUSA variety of rice, which is harvested late. It is being blamed for the recent spike in stubble burning cases.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS EXPERTS OFFER?
Dr Manjeet Singh Makkar, who heads farm machinery and power engineering department at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), says they have given three alternatives to stubble burning. 1. Use of straw choppercumspreader This machine chops the stubble and mixes it in the soil either with the help of water or a rotavator, a tool consisting of a steel shaft and rotary with blades fitted on a tractor. Cost:₹2.4 lakh for both 2. Straw management system (SMS) and Happy Seeder Fitted to any combine harvester, the SMS cuts the straw into small pieces and scatters it evenly in the field. Later, a Happy Seeder, mounted on a tractor, can be used to directly sow the wheat. The seeder sows wheat, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch, which improves soil fertility. Cost: ₹2.5 lakh for both 3. Baler Makes bales used in power plants or cardboard factories. Cost:₹3 lakh
HAS THE PUNJAB GOVT INTERVENED?
Bains, director of agriculture, says the state had sought a central grant of ₹900 crore spread over three years for a crop residue management project in May this year. Using this money, the state proposes to give farmers 40% subsidy for the purchase of baler, rake, rotavator and Happy Seeder to dispose of the stubble instead of setting it on fire. The Centre has released a grant of ₹48.5 crore, which has been distributed to chief agriculture officers. The state government has empanelled some firms and the farmers can buy these machines from these, following which the subsidy will be transferred to their accounts. The cuttershredder is the cheapest machine at ₹45,000, the Happy Seeder is the most expensive at ₹1.25 lakh.
In May this year, the state government made it mandatory for farmers to attach a subsidised SMS to their combine harvesters. Dr Makkar from PAU says, 18,200 combine harvesters have been fitted with this system till now. “We’ve got a good response from firms who have got the licences for manufacturing this system from the PAU,” he adds. The state is also taking punitive action against erring farmers by imposing fines running into thousands of rupees on each. (see box)
WHY DO FARMERS STILL DO IT?
Already under debt, small and medium farmers don’t have the savings to invest in new machinery advocated by the PAU and the state government, which would require an investment of over₹ 2 lakh. Besides, the SMS can only be fitted on new combine harvesters, with the old ones needing an upgrade to use this system. Even the cheapest machine (cutter and shredder) costs ₹45,000 and more. Use of farm labour is the most expensive at ₹6,000 an acre.
Billa Singh, a farmer from Anokharwal village in Phagwara, spoke for many farmers when he said, “Given a choice between a box of matchsticks and machinery worth ₹2 lakh, what will you choose? It’s also very convenient for a poor farmer to just set his field on fire.”
WHAT IS THE WAY OUT?
Dr Navtej Singh Bains, director of research, PAU, says adoption of new machinery is the only way out. “The Punjab government has already made straw management system (SMS) mandatory for all combine-harvester owners. Now, if every village procures one or two Happy Seeders, the problem will be solved. Even now, farmers are renting these machines for ₹1,300 an acre. This cost is bound to fall as more farmers buy the seeders.”