Union Minister exhorts farmers to say no to stubble burning

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 9

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Panchayati Raj, on Tuesday emphasised the ill effects of stubble burning and urged the farming community to shun the practice.

“Rampant burning of crop residues in Punjab and Haryana is a serious environmental concern. It is causing severe damage to Mother Earth that fulfills diverse livelihood needs of the society,” he said.

He maintained that the government was making all possible efforts to stop this menace but the farmers need to come forward for its success.

Rupala was addressing farmers on the inauguration of ‘Swarna Jayanti Krishi Unnati Mela’ at Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), here. He exhorted the farmers to switch over to organic farming to reduce the cost of production, improve food quality and fetch higher incomes. He encouraged women farmers to take a lead in agricultural development and said women self help groups can bring a marked improvements in the quality of rural life by working in areas of organic farming, horticulture and livestock-based enterprises.

The minister pointed out that the indigenous cattle breeds need to be promoted in a big way to meet the ever-increasing demand of nutritious milk and milk products.

He awarded about 20 innovative farmers from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana for their efforts in harnessing the productivity of salt-affected soils. He also invited one of the farmers, Amrik Singh from Hajwana village in Kaithal district, who was awarded for his innovative ways for crop residue management, to administer the oath for stopping crop-residue burning to the other farmers.

Lauding the efforts of the Union Government, he said it was for the first time since independence that the Union Government had initiated policies and schemes to increase the farmers’ income in contrast to conventional approach for increasing agricultural productivity.

Dr SK Chaudhari, Additional Director General (ADG), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and Dr PC Sharma, Director, CSSRI, Karnal, also addressed the farmers.

Later, Rupala paid a visit to the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) and interacted with scientists. Dr RRB Singh, Director, NDRI, informed him about the research done by scientists here.