Paddy growers prefer manual harvesting to get higher price

Sunit Dhawan

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Rohtak, October 14

More and more farmers are opting for manual harvesting instead of hiring combine harvesters as the hand-cut paddy crop fetches them a higher price, besides enabling them to sell stubble separately.

According to local farmers, operators of combine harvesters charge Rs 3,000-3,500 per acre for harvesting paddy, while engaging manual labour costs them Rs 6,000-6,500 per acre.

Factors at work

• The additional expenditure incurred on manual harvesting can be recovered by selling paddy straw
• The hand-harvested produce also fetches a higher price due to its low moisture content and lesser damage to grains

“The cost of manual harvesting is almost double as compared to that done by machines. However, the paddy straw, which gets wasted when the crop is harvested using machines, can be sold after manual harvest,” points out Pardeep, a farmer from Aanwal village in Rohtak district.The additional expenditure incurred on manual harvesting can be easily recovered by selling paddy straw, he adds.

Farmers say that the hand-harvested produce also fetches a higher price due to its low moisture content and lesser damage to grains.

Meanwhile, Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar has also advised the farmers to manage the crop residue effectively to supplement their income and reduce environmental pollution.

“The crop residue can be ploughed back into the soil to enhance its fertility. It can also be sold to generate additional income. Moreover, the farmers get an incentive of Rs 1,000 per acre from the government for not burning the residue,” he said.

Dr Karam Chand, Deputy Director (Agriculture), Rohtak, said the provision of incentive for not burning crop residue was getting popular among the farmers. He exhorted the farmers to refrain from stubble burning and use the paddy straw to enhance their income and get incentive too. Meanwhile, 1,882.6 tonne Grade-A paddy produce has arrived in the grain markets of the district, of which 1,576.2 tonne has been purchased so far.