40% paddy still to be harvested in Haryana
The delay in paddy harvesting has also affected the sowing of potato and mustard in Haryana; agriculture officials feel that it might lead to increase in the cases o stubble burning
: Inclement weather coupled with unseasonal rains have delayed paddy harvesting and procurement operations in Haryana, leaving a shorter window for farmers to sow the next crop, which the agriculture officials feel could force the cultivators to resort to stubble burning, the cheapest and easiest way to clear fields of crop waste.
As per ground reports from major paddy sowing districts of northern Haryana, nearly 40 per cent of the crop is yet to be harvested and farmers are running from pillar to post to reap their produce and take it to the mandis amid spells of rain.
“We are facing problems as nearly 50 per cent of the procured paddy is still in mandis and the farmers are unable to bring their produce,” said Ajaib Singh, a commission agent of Karnal’s Indri grain market.
Singh said that most of the paddy was lying in the open and it has increased fears among farmers, arhtiyas and traders of crop damage.
The scattered rains have not only affected harvesting in the paddy and bajra belt of the state, it has also affected the procurement and lifting operations, causing a glut-like situation in mandis.
Shorter window to sow next crop may instigate farm fires
Even as Haryana has witnessed a considerable fall in the incidents of farm fires this year so far, officials monitoring the situation are of the view that delayed harvesting and rains may result in increasing incidents of stubble burning.
“No-doubt that so far we have managed to take the farmers along and there were only 81 incidents of farm fires reported in the state till October 9, but now we fear that delayed harvesting will give a shorter widow for sowing of next crop, causing more farm fires,” said a senior officer from agriculture department pleading anonymity.
He said that they have to keep a close vigil for the next two weeks as there is a strong possibility that the farmers may burn crop waste to clear their fields once the weather is cleared.
Affects potato and mustard sowing
According to farmers, unseasonal rains and delayed harvesting has also affected the sowing of the next crops, especially potato and mustard.
They said that most of the farmers who had grown early maturing paddy varieties to reap three crops in a year could not clear their fields on time to sow the next crop as the state had witnessed around 460mm rains in one week during last month.
“We are unable to sow potato even though my five acres under Pusa 1509 was cleared on September 15. Now we have to sow wheat as the weather is not favourable for potato sowing,” said Rajkumar, a farmer from Ladwa in Kurukshetra district.
Another farmer Amarjit Singh of Kheri Dabdalan village of Kurukshetra said, “my six acres under potato got damaged due to heavy rains last month. Even I have dropped plans to grow mustard on the remaining 10 acres under paddy due to delayed harvesting and bad weather.”
25 Kurukshetra farmers fined for stubble burning
As many as 25 farmers from Kurukshetra district have been fined of ₹ 62,500 for burning crop waste.
Pradeep Meel, deputy director agriculture, Kurukshetra, said that the penalties were imposed following the verification of active fire locations detected by the Haryana Space Application Centre. He said that no FIR was registered as all the farmers have submitted the penalties.
He said strict monitoring by the ground level officials is going on as around ₹ 1.18 lakh has already been deposited into the bank accounts of 194 farmers for not burning crop waste.
While in Karnal district, DDA Aditya Dabas said that a total of 18 cases of stubble burning have been confirmed so far and 16 farmers have been fined. Two of them have been booked for violation and not depositing fine. ENDS
