Stubble-burning in Punjab: Farmers hesitant to adopt alternatives

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, October 26

The issue of stubble-burning continues to be a cause for concern for the Punjab Government.

Even though Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed various techniques to solve the problem of stubble-burning, these have not been adopted by farmers on a large scale.

Reasons such as lack of awareness and finances, and reluctance to adopt environment-friendly techniques are said to be the main causes of burning stubble.

No immediate returns

The main reason why farmers do not want to use the ‘happy seeder’ is because it requires more diesel, time and effort. Farmers get no immediate returns after adoption of this technology. The returns are seen in 3-4 years. -- Lakhwinder Singh, progressive farmer

Among the many alternatives offered by PAU, ‘happy seeder’ is one. It helps in sowing wheat in the standing paddy stubble and improve soil fertility by incorporation of organic matter into the soil.

Many farmers are already making use of this technique, but mass acceptance of the alternative remains to be seen.

“The main reason why farmers do not want to use the ‘happy seeder’ is because it requires more diesel, time and efforts. Farmers get no immediate returns after adoption of this technology. Farmers are of the opinion that they would lose money on the same, which they are not in favour of. The returns of the technology are seen in three to four years,” said Lakhwinder Singh, a progressive farmer from Hoshiarpur. He has been using the technology for five years.

Besides the ‘happy seeder’, straw baler was also introduced to farmers to bind the straw and supply the same to small biomass power plants and for co-generation of power by sugar by the sugar mills. But to adopt this method successfully, farmers need a large-scale sugar mill nearby, where they can dispose the stubble conveniently.

The non-availability of large-scale sugar mills nearby farms is a major hindrance as farmers are not ready to travel long distances to dispose the straw at sugar mills.

Another technique developed by PAU is straw management system (SMS). The system is installed on the self-operated combine.

The SMS devise cuts the leftover straw from paddy harvesting into small pieces and spread it uniformly in the field. This straw can be ploughed back or even left as it is for sowing of wheat using the ‘happy seeder’.

“The major hiccup in adopting the SMS technology is the cost factor. The device will cost the farmer an additional Rs 1.5 lakh besides the combine. The diesel consumption will go up by 20 per cent as it takes an hour to cover one hectare. Labour will also charge more as more time will be consumed,” said Balwant Singh, a farmer from Mansa district.

Besides these three alternatives, there are machines such as balers, choppers and mulchers, which compress the straw or incorporate it into the field.

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