1,875 farmers to get crop residue mgmt machines on subsidy in Ludhiana district

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, September 24

In Ludhiana district, a total of 1,875 farmers are set to receive crop residue management machines on subsidy in the coming harvesting season. This is an effort to rein in incidents of stubble burning.

Last year, as many as 2,682 farm fires were reported in the district, 50 per cent down from the year before. With an increasing number of farmers showing an interest in the management of stubble, the number of stubble burning incidents is expected to dip further this year.

“A total of 2,56,900 hectares are under paddy cultivation in the district this season, and the Ludhiana district Agriculture Department had received around 3,000 applications, out of which 1,875 have been approved,” noted Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Narinder Pal Singh. He added, “Subsidy is given for both in-situ and ex-situ machines, but the in-situ method remains the most preferred one among the farmers. Out of the total approved applications, 1,771 are for in-situ machines, while 104 are for ex-situ.”

Paddy stubble can be managed through both in-situ and ex-situ methods. In-situ management involves incorporating stubble into the soil using CRM machines, while ex-situ management involves lifting stubble from fields and supplying it to stubble-based industries.

Individual farmers are given 50 per cent subsidy, while custom hiring centres are given up to 80 per cent subsidy. For in-situ management, some of the machines available are the happy seeder, super seeder, smart seeder, paddy straw chopper, shredder and the zero trill drill, among others. For ex-situ management, there are machines such as a baler and a straw rake, explained Agriculture Department Assistant Agriculture Engineer Harmanpreet Singh.

He added that 80 per cent of the applications received for in-situ management were from individual farmers who wanted to use the machine in their own fields, while ex-situ machines have a large capacity and are used on a custom basis.

Punjab Agricultural University recently entered into agreements with eleven prominent farm machinery manufacturers in Punjab to commercialise the revolutionary PAU Surface Seeder Technology.

PAU Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal emphasised the cost-effectiveness of the PAU Surface Seeder Technology for timely sowing of wheat without the need for burning paddy residue.

He pointed out that the technology reduces the per acre cost of sowing wheat to Rs 700 to Rs 800.

MS Bhullar, Head of the Department of Agronomy, and agronomist J S Gill shared that farmers were thrilled about using the surface seeding technology during the field trials conducted by the PAU.

#Environment #Farm Fires #Pollution #Stubble Burning