Allow potato farmers to burn straw, demands BKU

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, September 23

Ahead of potato sowing season, activists of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Haryana) are demanding a special permission to burn paddy stubble.

In the past one week, the BKU leaders have been submitting memorandums to the Deputy Commissioners in various districts urging them not to impose any penalty on farmers burning paddy residue.

They claimed using options other than stubble burning was causing an additional burden on potato growers. Burning of crop stubble is illegal in Haryana.

However, agriculture experts said a section of farmers were reluctant to discontinue traditional methods of disposal of paddy straws that was harmful not only to the environment but causes immense damage to their fields.

Deputy Director, Agriculture, Dr Karamchand told The Tribune on Sunday that the department had launched a massive information, education and communication (IEC) campaign in various parts of Kurukshetra for the safe disposal of paddy straw.

He said the department was organising special on-field demonstrations of the mechanised solution at every village and it was getting a good response from farmers.

Of the total 1.5 lakh hectares cultivable in the district, around 15,000 hectares was used to sow potato, carrot and peas after paddy harvesting.

Karamchand said the result-oriented crop residue in situ management had been extended at the village level for those opting to sow potato after paddy harvesting.

He said the three-step mechanised system allows chopping of paddy stubble in small pieces and then reverse ploughing mixed crop waste well in the spoil. The last step is using rotavator machines and these machines are available at various custom-hiring centres (CHCs).

“It costs around Rs4,000 per acre and the three-step action takes about six hours. But a farmer can save up to Rs2,000 per acre in terms of lesser irrigation and nutrients in the field ready by mechanical preparation for post-paddy harvesting sowings. It improves soil health, thus assisting in a better quality of horticulture produces,” said the official.