Ambala hopes to end paddy season with no farm fires

With over 70 per cent of harvesting completed, and no farm fire incidents reported in this season so far, the agriculture department aims to end the paddy harvesting season with zero farm fire incidents in Ambala this year.

As per a department official, no farm fire incident was reported up to October 18, while 71 cases were reported in the corresponding period last year. A total of 99 fire incidents were reported in Ambala in 2024.

As per information, nearly 2.46 lakh acres under paddy crop was registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora Portal in the district. As many as 37,061 farmers in the district had registered for the in-situ and ex-situ stubble management on over 2,20 lakh acres.

To keep a watch on stubble burning, over 630 nodal officers were deployed in the field. To encourage farmers for the in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy, the department provides an assistance of Rs 1,200 per acre to farmers. The registration for stubble management was received on over 2.20 lakh acres.

Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA) Ambala Dr Jasvinder Saini said, “Over 70 per cent harvesting has been completed in the district and no farm fire has been reported in Ambala so far. Besides the strict monitoring and action being taken by the government to discourage farmers from burning the residue, rising awareness among the farmers have helped the department in controlling the fire incidents.”

Jasbir Singh, a progressive farmer from Hamidpur village, said, “I have been doing in-situ management in the fields for the past several years and it is a good option to manage the paddy residue. It also helps in improving the soil health and reduces the requirement of fertilisers for the next crop. The farmers are also aware of the ill-effects of the residue burning but the delay in preparing straw bales and lifting of the bales from the fields forces the farmers to burn the residue. The farmers can also get rid of this situation by getting some modifications in their equipment.”