Progressive farmers show the way SOLDIER LIVES UP TO HIS PROMISE
These sons of the soil have stopped putting a matchstick to paddy stubble and are embracing new techniques and practices. They share how they manage the crop residue, while experts suggest financial support for such farmers
It’s been a decade since Parduman Singh and his son, Harkaranveer, stopped burning paddy stubble and started using the happy seeder to sow wheat in 50 acres at Nagar village.
Parduman, a retired soldier and president of the village co-operative society, says his daughter, Sarbjit Kaur, asked him to give up burning stubble way back in 2008. “She took a pledge from me after some pups were trapped in the middle of our farm when we set it ablaze. I managed to rescue them but decided to look for an alternative way to dispose of the straw,” he says.
Senior agriculture officer Manmohan Kalia guided him on using the happy seeder. At present, Kalia is the officiating joint director of agriculture engineering-cum-nodal officer for crop residue management.
“I got the happy seeder on rent and used it for two seasons before I bought my own in 2010,” he says, adding that he was awarded by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in 2014.
Harkaranveer, who is now an expert at operating the happy seeder, says that he was 13 when he started helping his father in the farm. “Cultivating wheat using the happy seeder is easier and faster. We have seen a two-three quintal increase in the yield too. The decomposed stubble is the secret,” he says.
Parduman has convinced several farmers of his village to use the happy seeder. Manmohan Kalia, nodal officer for crop residue management: Using the happy seeder to cultivate wheat not only saves the environment from stubble burning pollution but also helps in keeping the crop healthy by controlling the temperature, working as a natural fertiliser and keeping insects away. “There are 1,900 happy seeder machines in fields across the state and this year we want to take the number to 7,000 by encouraging farmers to use this technology,” he adds.