To curb farm fires, straw management system made must on combine harvesters

In a major step to curb stubble-burning cases across the state, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has made it mandatory for all combine harvesters to be fitted with a functional Super Straw Management System (Super-SMS) before the paddy harvesting season. Officials have warned that no harvester would be permitted to operate without the system and if there is any violation, the machine would be impounded for the entire season.

Director of Agriculture Department in a letter to all Deputy Commissioners, Deputy Directors of Agriculture (DDAs) and Assistant Agriculture Engineers has asked to ensure strict compliance.

“Following the directions of the Director, we have instructed owners of combine harvesters to install this system before harvesting begins. Farmers too have been asked to ensure harvesting of their fields is carried out only with SMS-equipped machines. Any combine harvester found operating without the system will be seized,” said Dr Wazir Singh, DDA Karnal.

At present, 1,458 combine harvesters are registered in the district and operators must obtain a certificate before commencing harvesting, he added.

The department has initiated this step in compliance with the directions of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), he said, adding that the Super-SMS cuts and chops paddy straw at the base and spreads it evenly in the field, allowing wheat to be sown directly without the need to burn residue. This not only prevents air pollution but also enriches soil fertility with organic matter. Nearly 1.7 lakh hectares in Karnal have been sown with paddy this year.

The DDA said that to curb stubble-burning cases, monitoring teams are being constituted at village, block, tehsil and district levels. Farmers found burning stubble will face fines of Rs 5,000 for fires up to two acres, Rs 10,000 for up to five acres and Rs 30,000 for more than five acres. In addition, red entries will be made in the revenue records of violators on the ‘Meri Fasal, Mera Byora’ (MFMB) portal.

Dr Singh also urged farmers to establish custom hiring centres (CHCs) for the effective use of stubble management machinery under the Union Government’s In-Situ Crop Residue Management Scheme. Subsidies of up to 50 per cent are being provided for the purchase of such equipment.

With joint efforts by officials from various departments, stringent action against violating farmers — including red entries in their agricultural records, registration of FIRs — along with the adoption of stubble management practices, Haryana recorded a significant fall in stubble-burning cases in 2024. The state registered 1,406 cases in 2024, compared to 2,303 in 2023, 3,661 in 2022 and 6,987 in 2021, the DDA asserted.

Karnal district recorded 95 cases in 2024, 126 in 2023, 301 in 2022 and 956 in 2021, he said.