Agriculture Department launches 40-day awareness campaign on stubble-burning

In the wake of the district logging the season’s first FIR against a farmer for setting crop residue on fire, the administration has stepped up its efforts to sensitise farmers on preventing stubble fires.

The Agriculture Department has started a 40-day special campaign in collaboration with the district administration, under which three vans will travel from village to village to deliver the message to the farmers.

While flagging off the awareness vans from the District Administrative Complex here today, Additional Deputy Commissioner (J) Amaninder Kaur said that the purpose of these vans was to motivate farmers not to burn paddy stubble, acquainting them with the disadvantages of the practice.

She said that during this special campaign, all the villages of the district would be covered by these vans. CMFO Navdeep Singh was also present.

He said stubble-burning not only polluted the environment but also had a negative impact on the soil’s fertility. He said farmers should prioritise scientific stubble management, for which the state government was also providing machinery on subsidised rates.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Jaswinder Singh said mixing stubble in the fields increased the fertility of the soil, which improves the yield while reducing the need for chemical fertilisers.

Meanwhile, in the wake of an FIR filed against a farmer in Lohian, SDM Shahkot Shubhi Angra said, “We have been sensitising and motivating farmers to give up the practice. Awareness drives on the issue have been on since March and lately, we have also been asking them to use machines to manage the residue.”

The vans will play audio messages and pamphlets will also be distributed. Agriculture Officer Dr Surjit Singh, Agriculture Development Officer Anish Chander and other officers and employees of the Agriculture Department and Farmers Welfare Department were also present.