Sirsa farmer turns crop waste into livelihood for 40 local workers

What started as a small step to protect beneficial farm insects and reduce pollution has grown into a source of livelihood for dozens. Nirmal Dhaliwal, a 42-year-old farmer from Poharka village in Haryana’s Sirsa district, is managing nearly 8,000 acres of crop residue while providing jobs to 40 persons.

In 2018, Dhaliwal began collecting and processing paddy stubble locally called parali, to make bales. With time, his initiative turned into a full-scale operation that now helps address the shortage of cattle feed in other states.

He owns three large round balers capable of collecting and bundling stubble from 250 acres in a single day. The bales are later processed into smaller bundles or converted into toodi (chopped straw) used as animal fodder.

Dhaliwal says using crop residue properly can protect beneficial insects, reduce air pollution, and provide a sustainable source of cattle feed. After processing, he supplies the material to cow shelters (gaushalas) in Gujarat and Rajasthan. “We help feed cows while also keeping the air clean,” he says.

A paddy farmer himself, Dhaliwal cultivates around 20 acres and manages stubble on a much larger scale. His efforts have earned recognition from the district administration and the Agriculture Department.

From one machine to a growing enterprise

Dhaliwal recalls that his journey began when he noticed that burning stubble destroyed useful insects in the soil. Determined to find a better solution, he bought his first baler in 2018. That machine could cover 20 acres a day. Slowly, he bought more equipment and started selling processed straw. Today, his machines handle up to 250 acres daily.

Managing 200,000 quintals of stubble each year

Each acre produces about 25 quintals of stubble. Dhaliwal now manages around 200,000 quintals annually, turning some into bales and the rest into toodi. His processing plant runs year-round, employing 40 local workers. He says that one large cow shelter near Sanchore in Rajasthan, Pathmeda Gaushala, alone demands nearly 100,000 quintals of toodi annually. Dhaliwal also receives requests from power plants seeking stubble as biomass fuel, but he declines those offers. “My goal is to provide animal feed, not fuel,” he says. Through innovation and persistence, Dhaliwal has turned an environmental challenge into an opportunity helping farmers, protecting nature and feeding animals all at once.