Special incentives for small farmers to scale up stubble management, recommends study
Chandigarh, November 13
Special incentives for small farmers to scale up adoption of paddy stubble management measures and an increase in area under short-duration crop varieties are some of the key recommendations the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has made in a new study.
The study found that farmers believed the adoption of paddy stubble management raises their financial burden, and also several of them were unaware that in-situ management of paddy straw reduces use of fertilisers, insecticides and weedicides.
The Department of Economics and Sociology of the Ludhiana-based PAU conducted an impact assessment study of the central sector scheme for promotion of agricultural mechanisation for in-situ paddy stubble management in Punjab.
PAU principal economist Sanjay Kumar said the state government had asked to conduct the study in March last year.
Funded by the state agriculture department, the study covered 110 villages in 22 districts of the state, Kumar said.
The study selected 2,160 farmers – 1,320 adopters of paddy stubble management interventions and the rest non-adopters.
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November every year.
Most farmers found that the use of crop residue management machines led to an increase in their financial burden.
“Almost all farmers believe that the adoption of paddy stubble management (PSM) raises financial burden as rentals of PSM machinery are high,” the study pointed out.
Among recommendations for scaling up adoption of paddy stubble management by farmers, the study said small farmers must be offered special incentives to encourage them to manage stubble. It also laid stress on training them.
“The area under short-duration varieties needs to be increased and that under long-duration varieties needs to be discouraged to promote paddy stubble management,” said the study.
It also recommended a small shift of area to basmati rice which will also help in reducing stubble burning in the state.
The study also recommended that the process of applying for and receiving subsidies on crop residue management machines may need more simplification and must also aim at eliminating delays.
It said the current level of training in the villages has been inadequate. “There is a need to allocate more resources for training,” the study added.
