Muktsar farmers turn paddy stubble into compost

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, November 6

Even as North India is facing air pollution due to the burning of paddy stubble, some farmers here in Muktsar district have started the practice of preparing compost from stubble and cow dung.

To inspire the farmers to adopt this environment-friendly practice, Vellore-based C Srinivasan, project director of the Indian Green Service and consultant of the Solid Liquid Resource Management (SLRM) project, has held some training camps at Udekaran and Karamgarh villages here.

Some farmers have opted for it on a trial basis saying that the disposal of stubble by engaging a contractor to make bales is an expensive method, which takes Rs 2,000 per acre.

Sukhchain Singh, a farmer from Udekaran village, said, “We have made a six-foot-high stack of paddy stubble and soaked it with the mixture of cow dung and water. The bacteria generated from the cow dung will turn the stubble into compost in 60 days, which will increase the nutrient level of soil for the next crop and lessen the need of water as well.”

Meanwhile, the district administration, too, is spreading awareness among farmers that if the compost can be prepared from even dry leaves, then why it can’t be prepared from the crop residue.

Baljinder Singh Brar, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, said, “I have visited Udekaran village, where farmers have started making compost from paddy stubble on a trial basis. If this method proves successful, it can solve the problem of stubble burning. Then other farmers, too, will be motivated.”