Growing class of entrepreneurs redefines stubble management landscape

What began as a seasonal challenge for Punjab’s farmers has evolved into a promising new rural industry. Across the state, innovative entrepreneurs are transforming paddy residue (once burnt as waste) into wealth.

‘State on cusp of biofuel revolution’

Punjab is not only creating employment opportunities, but also reducing carbon footprint emissions and improving soil health.

Amrinder Singh, progressive farmer

Govt aid for clean energy

1 The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has launched the National Bioenergy Programme to support clean energy adoption and tackle farm fires

2 Under the programme, the government is promoting briquette/pellet manufacturing from crop residues like paddy straw

3 There is also support for biomass-based cogeneration in industries and financial incentives to farmers

A native of Sadhugarh village in Fatehgarh Sahib, Amrinder Singh (38), a progressive farmer, has taken the initiative to tap into the emerging stubble management economy. His firm, Farm2Fuel, is projected to collect around 60 tonne paddy straw this year, double the last year’s figure of 30 tonne.

“Punjab is on the cusp of a biofuel revolution,” he says. “It is not only creating employment opportunities, but also reducing carbon footprint emissions and improving soil health.” His company currently employs around 200 persons. The initiative has shown result as the farm fires in Fatehgarh Sahib have gone down by 77 per cent in the season so far.

Many farmers have reinvented themselves as agri-entrepreneurs, producing and supplying stubble pellets to thermal plants. Several among them have turned their land into collection points for managed stubble.

They represent a growing class of rural innovators who see economic potential in managing farm residue responsibly. Among them is Sukhbir Singh Dhaliwal, a pioneering entrepreneur who redefined the stubble management landscape through his start-up, Farm2Energy, back in 2016.

Guided by the belief that “stubble is not waste, it is wealth”, Dhaliwal has turned what was once a burning environmental concern into a sustainable enterprise.

This year, he has collaborated with Amarinder Singh and has managed around 20,000 acres of farmland, converting paddy residue into bio-coal, a carbon-neutral fuel that can replace traditional coal in industries.

“Our unit processes paddy straw, corn stover, sugarcane trash, and wheat straw to produce bio-pellets, biochar and torrefied pellets,” Dhaliwal explains. “These are supplied to biofuel, biopower and bio-based industries as eco-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels,” he said.

Both of them have set up a bio-pellet manufacturing facility in Punjab, strengthening the state’s move towards cleaner energy. “It is a new industry with immense potential,” Dhaliwal says. “We are building a business around sustainability while helping farmers manage biomass responsibly.”

According to Dhaliwal, Punjab produces roughly 185 lakh tonne paddy straw each year. Of this, about 30 per cent is managed either in-situ (mixed back into the soil) or ex-situ (collected and used as fuel), while the rest is still set ablaze.

Harminder Singh Sidhu, director of the Gadri Baba Dulla Singh Giani Nihal Singh Foundation in Raikot, has established an equipment bank to lease farm machinery for harvesting and crop sowing, including units in Patiala.

He said farmers were interested in stubble management, but not many could afford machinery. “Our foundation is providing them stubble-management machinery,” said Harminder.

Nearly 6,000 farmers from Ludhiana, Barnala and Patiala are part of this initiative, practising in-situ management across 7,759 acres, without setting their fields on fire.

Sidhu says the long-term impact is visible. “Soil fertility has improved due to the incorporation of paddy straw,” he noted, urging the government to recognise and support farmers promoting fire-free farming.

For Sidhu, the motivation came from personal experience. “Frequent hospital visits for children of his village due to pollution were distressing,” he recalls. “The fire first affects those who light it — poor air quality is harming our families. So, we started fire-free farming in our own fields, and when results improved, we motivated others. Today, several villages are adopting this practice. The soil quality has improved, fertiliser dependence has dropped, and the air is cleaner,” he said.