To curb farm fires, govt to provide imported balers on subsidy
65% subsidy will be provided to industrial units for purchase of European baler while up to 80% subsidy will be for farmer groups, cooperative societies and individuals for small baler
To give a push to the ex-situ management of crop residue during paddy harvest in October-November, the government is facilitating industrial houses in the state to import big (high-density) balers to collect paddy stubble that can be supplied to boilers for use as a fuel. Under the Central government-funded scheme, 65% subsidy is given to an industrial unit for its contribution of 35% for the baler cost. According to a top official of the state department of agriculture, the balers will be imported from manufacturers in Germany, Spain and Holland.
The Centre’s agriculture ministry has sanctioned ₹500 crore for in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy stubble, giving machines to farmers on subsidy. Out of the total outlay, the state government will contribute ₹200 crore (40%). Ex-situ management involves supplying stubble to stubble-based industrial units to be used as an alternative fuel while the in-situ management entails incorporating stubble into soil using machines.
“ ₹35 crore will be given in subsidy for importing big balers which cost ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore each,” said an official of the agriculture department. The industrial houses who will get balers on subsidy will have to collect 3,000 to 4,500 tonnes of paddy stubble. Each machine is targeted to cover 1,000 acres in a procurement season. A total of 35 industrial units will get big balers on subsidy.
Besides, 3,000 farmers have applied for small baler machines. “The cost of small baler is ₹19 lakh to ₹20 lakh for which an individual farmer will get 50% subsidy and cooperative societies and farmers groups will get 80% subsidy,” the official added. A total of 21,000 farmers have applied for machines for managing stubble.
“Machines with German technology are being assembled in Punjab which will help remove stubble by making bales of three to five quintals,” said agriculture director Jaswant Singh.
In Punjab, paddy crop is grown over 3 million hectares (7.5 million acres), which generates around 19-20 million tonnes of the foodgrain and 22 million tonnes of stubble. About 60% (12 million tonnes) of the stubble is managed through in-situ techniques — mixed into the soil or used as fuel in the industry, while the rest of about 10 million tonnes is set ablaze.
Since 2018, the Centre has been funding the crop residue management programme in Punjab. Between 2018 and 2022, around cent per cent grant of ₹1,370 crore was sanctioned for the state. Despite that, the result is not what has been desired as stubble burning continues.
In the last season, ₹350 crore was sanctioned with the changed condition that Punjab will contribute 40% ( ₹140 crore) while the rest ( ₹210 crore) will be the Centre’s share. According to special chief secretary KAP Sinha, from the outlay of ₹500 crore this year the Centre has sent an instalment of ₹150 crore. “We are starting the delivery of machines for stubble management to the beneficiary farmers by the end of July so that the farmers can make best use of machines,” he said.
The machines to be given to farmers include super straw management system to be attached with harvest combines, Happy Seeders or smart seeders, paddy straw choppers and shredders, mulchers, hydraulic reversible ploughs, super seeders, zero till drills, balers, rakes, shrubmaster, crop reapers (tractor mounted or self-propelled) and self-propelled reapers-cum-binders.
Farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue as the window between the paddy harvesting and sowing of the next crop is short. Despite the common perception that stubble burning is a major reason behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the National Capital Region, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently said that there has been no scientific claim that farm fires in Punjab contribute to air pollution in Delhi. Speaking at a public event, NGT member justice Sudhir Agarwal deplored penalising and jailing farmers over stubble burning and termed it as “grave injustice”.