Yamunanagar snuffs out pollution, one bale at a time

A major shift is underway in Haryana’s agricultural landscape, where government-backed initiatives are transforming the annual environmental challenge of paddy stubble burning into a story of sustainability and economic gain. With the state’s ambitious Ex-Situ Management of Paddy Straw Policy 2023 in its third year, farmers are increasingly adopting machinery and practices that repurpose crop residue into valuable bio-resources—cutting emissions and boosting farm incomes.

The policy, aimed at eliminating crop residue burning entirely by 2027, promotes both in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy straw.

Each year, the state produces an estimated 7.3 million metric tonnes of paddy straw from 3.65 million acres under cultivation. Through schemes like the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme and the 2025 Haryana Agriculture Machinery Subsidy Scheme, the farmers are being equipped with modern machinery such as happy seeders, super seeders, paddy straw choppers and balers. Individual farmers are offered subsidies of up to 50 per cent, while cooperatives and custom hiring centres receive up to 80 per cent support to widen machine access. Additionally, the farmers who avoid burning and instead opt to bale, sell, or compost their straw are eligible for an incentive of Rs 1,200 per acre.

So far this season, more than 55,000 farmers in Yamunanagar district have registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal under this incentive scheme, selecting their preferred method — in-situ or ex-situ. Last year, over Rs 12 crore was directly transferred to the farmers’ bank accounts who did not burn stubble during the rabi season.

This transparent and timely incentive transfer has played a major role in shifting the farmers toward non-burning practices, as only those verified through field inspections receive payments.

As a result, farm-fire incidents have declined significantly in Yamunanagar district compared to the previous year.

So far this season, only one FIR has been registered for a stubble-burning, and a fine of Rs 5,000 has been imposed on the farmer concerned.

In contrast, during 2024, 18 FIRs were registered, fines of Rs 57,500 were collected from 21 farmers, and red entries were marked in the land records of violators for two crop seasons, making them ineligible to sell their paddy at MSP procurement centres.

The district administration, Yamunanagar, has implemented a range of measures including awareness camps, munadi (drum announcements) in villages, and joint monitoring teams of multiple departments to curb stubble burning.

As part of the awareness drive, Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta drove a tractor in a farmer’s field and demonstrated straw baling to spread the message of environmental protection and soil fertility.

“The Haryana Government is providing subsidised agricultural equipment to manage paddy residue and maintain soil fertility. Our goal is to protect the environment from pollution and preserve the health of our soil. Along with awareness campaigns, strict enforcement is being ensured to completely eliminate burning,” said Parth Gupta.

Yamunanagar Deputy Director (agriculture) Aditya Pratap Dabas, said the integration of incentives through the MFMB portal and easy access to machinery have been key factors in changing behaviour of the farmers. “The farmers now view residue management as an opportunity rather than an obligation. The direct benefit transfer of incentives and transparent verification process has encouraged large-scale adoption of in-situ and ex-situ management practices,” Dabas said. Adding a major boost to these efforts, this year a mega project of supply chain system for stubble management has also been initiated in the district.

Under this project, four aggregators have been selected to establish large-scale stubble collection and supply infrastructure. Of these, one aggregator has been sanctioned a project worth Rs 1.5 crore, while the remaining three aggregators will each receive Rs 1 crore for procurement of heavy machinery and equipment.

The project will enable the direct collection and transportation of paddy residue to industries across Yamunanagar, creating a sustainable value chain between the farmers and industrial consumers of biomass fuel. Farmer-entrepreneur Ramandeep Walia of Amli village, who has been involved in crop residue management since 2020, shared his experience.

“In 2020, I made bales of about 1,200 metric tonnes of stubble, and this year my target is 4,500 tonnes. This work provides income while helping protect the environment. The government should also consider insurance coverage for stubble bales due to the high risk of accidental fires.”

At present, over 25 individuals are engaged in baling operations across the district. The bales are being supplied as biofuel to industries and are also used for producing clean-burning, carbon-neutral bio-pellets—offering an eco-friendly alternative to coal. Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana said, “By adopting these technologies and environment-friendly practices, the state farmers are leading India’s clean air movement. The efforts of the Nayab Singh Saini government are being acknowledged and appreciated at the national level.”