Mix stubble into soil, don’t burn it: Agriculture Department officials exhort Sirsa farmers

Managing crop residue instead of burning it can improve soil fertility, reduce air pollution, and benefit farmers and the environment, according to the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department.

Deputy Director Sukhdev Singh has said stubble burning released toxic gases and smoke, which cause respiratory and eye-related illnesses.

To address the issue, the department and district administration had launched awareness drives, encouraging farmers to adopt scientific methods for stubble management, he added.

On Thursday, teams visited several villages — including Mallewala, Jiwan Nagar, Jodhpuria, Dhanoor, Panniwala Mota, Rampur Theri, Kuttabadh, Mirzapur, Kelania, Madhosinghana, Kariwala, Narayankhera, and Jotanwali — to spread awareness in this regard.

At Jiwan, students from the local government school organised a rally to educate people about the harmful effects of stubble burning.

Singh said mixing stubble into soil instead of burning it helped create natural fertiliser.

“It increases organic matter, retains soil moisture for longer, and provides essential nutrients for the next crop. This reduces cultivation costs and increases productivity,” he said.

The government was providing modern machines such as the happy seeder, super straw management system, rotavator, baler, and mulcher for effective stubble management, he said, adding that these allowed farmers to chop and mix residue into the soil without burning, or use it to produce biogas, biofuel, animal feed, and organic compost — creating additional income sources.