Stubble burning’s too stubborn, even for a million dollars

Amarjit Thind & Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 26

The vexing issue of paddy-straw burning and its harmful effect on humans and the environment has thus far proved insurmountable. The Punjab Government has now announced a $1 million “Paddy Straw Management Challenge Fund”, to be awarded to whoever finds a solution to the problem.

The question agitating experts and farmers is: can there be a one-point solution to the problem, which has at least three points of focus — the harvest, processing of the straw, and the sowing of the subsequent crop? Given the spread of challenges and the experience thus far, it will require a rather large dose of luck for someone to win that $1 million, however well-intentioned the initiative.

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Reluctance, awareness, and poverty of the farmers has been the first obstacle in all efforts and techniques developed thus far by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. Lack of funds has also hobbled much research.

Progressive farmer Kamaldeep Singh of Sultanpur Lodhi says the high cost of a baler (Rs 10-12 lakh) — used to make bundles of straw — is crippling. While most of the wheat straw is used for fodder, it is not the case with paddy. Since the machine would be idle for most part of the year, a farmer will not be able to pay the loan instalments for it. Even if someone uses it, how will he dispose of the bales of hay? There is little market or storage space for it. Therefore, Kamaldeep Singh says, the farmer has hardly any option other than burning it on site.

Then there is the Happy Seeder, which can sow wheat (subsequent crop) even with paddy stubble still standing in the field. But that does not help the potato farmers, who have to clear the field of all farm residue. Mulchers — which shred and plough stubble into the field — are a big help, but these have to be pulled by high-power tractors, which raises the cost of the tractor as well as fuel, something the debt-ridden farmers are wary of.

The problem of straw burning is felt more acutely in winter, and that is not from paddy but wheat. Regarding this, Bakshish Singh of Dudwindi village says the Straw Management System (SMS), which scatters shredded stubble in the field, is also impractical since the straw does not decompose easily, and labourers transplanting paddy (subsequent crop) are reluctant to work in such fields as they work barefoot. Farmers also end up wasting more water by keeping the fields flooded for the straw to decompose. The very purpose of delaying the paddy season by two weeks is then defeated, he explained.

Dr JS Mahal, Dean, College of Agriculture Engineering and Technology, PAU, says farmers have not shown interest in adopting the Happy Seeder. That is because the gains of this technology — in the form of better soil health — becomes evident only after three or four years.

In 2012, the university had promoted production biogas from paddy stubble by dry fermentation. “It is an effective technique and the residue left is used as manure, but again the costs are high. The state announced a subsidy but that too failed to attract the farmers,” says Dr BS Sooch, senior research scientist.

Dr RK Gupta, senior soil chemist, Department of Soil Sciences, points to another technique, “biochar” produced from stubble. It is now being publicised by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) at Ladowal, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Bathinda. This technique reduces pollution and the use of the residue improves soil health, improves water infiltration rate as well as water holding capacity of the soil.

The Centre too has chipped in on the paddy straw problem. Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on November 11, 2016, that a new plant to produce ethanol to be set up in Bathinda with an outlay of Rs 500 crore. The plant was to convert paddy residue into ethanol, which would provide additional income to farmers. The then Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, had said such plants would be set up in every district in league with private players. He added this initiative would give farmers an extra Rs 3,000-4,000 per acre.

The foundation stone of the plant was laid in December 2016, but since the change of government the fate of the project is not known.

It is clear the challenge lies at the wider interface of governance and technology. Yet, the initiative of a reward has received appreciation for at least triggering fresh interest in the critical subject.