Agri dept warns farmers against burning crop residue

With wheat harvesting at its peak, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is also keeping a watch on farmers and has warned them against burning crop residue. It said besides imposing a penalty, FIR would be registered against such farmers.

Joint Director inspects crop-cutting experiment to assess average wheat production

Around 91,000 hectares is under the wheat crop this year, and around 30% harvesting has been done.

The department also held awareness camps across the district to educate the public about the harmful effects of residue burning. As part of the initiative, department officials visited various secondary and senior secondary schools, highlighting the adverse impact of burning on soil health, air quality, and the environment.

The Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA), Dr Jaswinder Saini, said the awareness camps were organised at 78 schools. Emphasis was laid on adopting eco-friendly alternatives and sustainable agricultural practices. Students actively participated in the sessions and took a pledge to save the soil and protect microorganisms by discouraging the practice of residue burning.

The official said earlier, there was a provision of Rs 2,500 penalty for burning residue on land up to 2 acres, Rs 5,000 on land between 2 and 5 acres, and Rs 15,000 for over 5 acres. Now, fines had increased to Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000, respectively. Block and village-level teams had been constituted to keep a watch on harvesting.

Meanwhile, the department’s Joint Director (Quality Control), Dr Pardeep Meel, inspected the crop-cutting experiment (CCE) work being carried out to gauge the production of wheat in Ambala. He visited fields in various villages and directed officials to conduct the experiment carefully, as the data would decide the average production.

As per information, CCE has been completed in nearly 850 fields, while another around 750 will be covered to determine the average yield per acre.

“The experiment is important to assess the average production of the village, which helps in policy making and settling the claims under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana,” said Jaswinder Saini, DDA, Ambala.