Rs 350 crore plan for paddy straw management: Punjab agriculture minister

Chandigarh, July 2

Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said on Sunday that his department has drafted a plan to provide Rs 350 crore subsidy on straw management machinery in order to check stubble burning, a key cause of air pollution in north India.

Cooperative societies and other groups can avail a subsidy of 80 per cent on straw management machinery while individual farmers will get a subsidy of 50 per cent, he said.

Khuddian said the department has submitted the action plan of Rs 350 crore to the central government and sought funds for the current year.

More than 20,000 machines will be made available on subsidy to individuals for crop residue management and 1,000 custom hiring centres will also be established, he stated.

The department has invited applications from farmers, cooperative societies and panchayats interested in availing subsidy on various crop residue management machinery during the kharif season 2023.

“Under the scheme, super seeder, smart seeder, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, shredder, mulcher, hydraulic reversible mould board plough and zero till drill for in-situ management and baler and rake in ex-situ machines are being made available on subsidy.

The rate of subsidy on the above-mentioned machines for the individual farmers is 50 per cent of the cost of equipment and for cooperative societies and panchayats 80 per cent, he said.

He appealed to farmers to make the most of this scheme to bring down crop residue burning cases to zero in the state.

He said the department will also launch an awareness drive among farmers about the available technologies for the management of crop residue.