CM writes to Centre, seeks GST exemption on 10 farm implements
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has demanded exemption in GST from the Centre on 10 agricultural implements used in crop residue management. He has written a letter in this regard to Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Saini highlighted that in recent years, stubble-burning had become a major issue, adversely impacting the health of people. Given the seriousness of the issue, it is being monitored by the Supreme Court and the Air Quality Commission.
Saini said Haryana's farmers were adopting advanced technologies and utilising the latest agricultural implement for crop residue management. Over the past few years, both the Centre and the state government had been providing subsidies on machinery for crop residue management. In 2024, there was a 39% reduction in stubble-burning incidents compared to 2023.
The state government had developed an action plan for 2025, which included a provision for a subsidy of about Rs 200 crore for the purchase of crop residue management machines. The total cost of these machines was expected to be around Rs 500 crore, with an additional burden of about Rs 60 crore on farmers due to GST (12%).
Saini has requested the Ministry of Finance to grant GST exemption on agricultural implements, such as rotavators, disc harrows, cultivators, zero drills, super seeders, straw balers, hay rakes, slashers, reaper binders, and tractor-mounted spray pumps. If the Central Government granted exemption, it would encourage farmers to adopt these technologies more widely, helping to prevent air pollution caused by residue burning, he added.
