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Punjab: Sangrur farmers allege shortage of stubble mgmt machines despite govt claims
Farmers say the digital initiative of Unnat Kisan mobile app to book Crop Residue Management machinery has failed to reach most of them; while many are simply unaware of the app, others lack the technical know-how to use it
As the paddy harvesting season gathers pace, farmers in Sangrur have alleged an acute shortage of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery on the ground, forcing many to resort to stubble burning.
This comes despite the government’s push for the Unnat Kisan mobile app, designed to help small and marginal farmers easily book over 85,000 in-situ and ex-situ CRM machines. Officials say farmers can also approach the local administration or agriculture department directly for assistance.
However, farmers say the digital initiative has failed to reach most of them. While many are simply unaware of the app, others lack the technical know-how to use it.
“All this is being done by the government just to level accusations against farmers,” said Manjeet Singh, a farmer from Gharachon village in Sangrur district. “Instead, they should come on the ground and see the problems we are facing.”
Manjeet, who has harvested 11 acres of paddy, said there was also a shortage of baler machines, essential for compressing crop residue. “The problem is worse for small and marginal farmers. The richer ones can afford to buy their own machinery,” he added.
Rinku, another farmer from Moonak, said after harvesting paddy on 15-16 acres, he approached private players for the removal of residue bales. “But they demanded ₹800- ₹1,200 per acre for immediate service. They told us if we wanted the service for free, we would have to wait at least 15 days,” he said.
According to him, farmers were asked to keep the bales dumped in their fields until industries came to pick them up, with no confirmed timeline. “We lodged complaints but no action was taken. If we wait 15 days, our rabi sowing will be delayed and that will affect yield. We are left with no choice but to burn the stubble,” he said.
Pankaj Jain, plant head of Verbio India CBG Plant in Lehra, Sangrur, said farmers were not required to pay for residue bales. “The purchase process is free. We plan to collect and purchase around 50,000 tonnes of bales this year to produce compressed biogas and fermented organic manure,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts, Sangrur’s chief agriculture officer Dharminderjit Singh was unavailable for comment.
Amarjit Singh, block agriculture officer of Sangrur, said CRM machines would be made available to farmers soon and that awareness drives were being held to educate them about booking facilities through the Unnat Kisan app and local agricultural offices. He also advised farmers to delay rabi sowing for better weather conditions.
