NABARD campaign to curb stubble burning launched

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 25

A campaign against paddy straw burning (crop residue management) in about 320 villages was launched by the Punjab Regional Office, NABARD, Chandigarh, during a district-level training meet presided over by Additional Deputy Commissioner (D) Shena Aggarwal, IAS, in Ludhiana on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Harjeet Singh Dhaliwal, director, PAMETI; Prof SC Sharma, Associate Director (Trg.), KVK Samrala; Jaspreet Singh Khera, project director, ATMA, LDM, director RSeti. Vijay Parveen Bhatia, DDM, NABARD, Ludhiana, coordinated the programme.

Aggarwal appreciated the efforts being taken by NABARD to curb stubble burning. She said with the efforts of all relevant departments, stubble burning has been reduced remarkably from last year. It is the need of the hour to make farmers aware about the ill-effects of stubble burning.

Parveen Bhatia said paddy-wheat was the major crop rotation occupying an area of 29.7 lakh ha and 35.06 lakh ha, respectively. With high mechanisation and extensive agriculture practices in Punjab, 80 per cent of wheat and 90 per cent of paddy is harvested by combine harvesters, which leaves behind stubble in fields. With narrow time in hand before the next sowing and limited options, farmers have the easiest way to manage stubble, which is to burn it in fields.

It is estimated that around 20 million tonne paddy straw is generated and about 75-80 per cent of it is burnt in fields. Stubble burning in field leads to various issues with respect to pollution, soil nutrient loss, increment in CO2 emission and suspended particulate matter in atmosphere affecting environment and human health.

Stubble burning is the main contributor to climate change in the state and also the major concern for stakeholders. The impact of burning on agriculture is huge in terms of loss of soil nutrient and organic matter, loss of soil moisture, etc. Only loss of nutrients can approximately count up to Rs1,410 per hectare apart from intangible losses of organic content, moisture and micro-nutrients.

Centre sanctions project

Keeping in view the above facts, a project on Climate Resilience Building in Rural areas through crop residue management has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

All 22 districts to be covered

• Under this project, campaigns will be carried out in all 22 districts of Punjab covering all paddy growing areas/villages. It will cover 12,000 villages by conducting 1,200 cluster-level programmes.
• It will include all types of channels viz publicity material, awareness through ads /jingles on AIR and Doordarshan, holding awareness camps at various levels for awareness on crop residue management. It should be conducted during Kharif season (2018) and be completed before the start of the harvest. 
• It will focus on sensitising and creating awareness among farmers.
• The main goal is to reduce stubble burning and avoid environmental pollution and mitigate climate change.