Debate on burning of paddy stubble or straw, pollution, NGT's & farmers' perspective

With farmers adamant on burning paddy stubble if government failed to provide financial incentive, and state authorties under pressure of the National Green Tribunal to prevent fires in Punjab's fields, the issue has emerged as a volatile one when agriculture is already witnessing a crisis on many fronts, including the debt waiver & continuing suicides. Is there a way out?

On the panel:

1. Dr Balwinder Singh Sidhu
Commissioner, Agriculture, Punjab; closely associated with policy formulation

2. Kahan Singh Pannu, IAS
Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board

3. Balbir Singh Rajewal
President, Bharti Kisan Union

4. Hamir Singh
Senior Journalist, Expert on Rural Economy, known for deep grassroot level connect as well as grasp of policy formulation

With Punjab growing paddy on some 30 lakh hectares, a general estimate tells us the state produces 19-20 million tonnes of paddy straw, of which about 85-90 % is burnt in the field.

Farmers are being told homilies about how burning of agricultural biomass residue is a major health hazard, and it leads to extremely high levels of particulate matter concentration apart from loss of vital components such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and potassium from the topsoil layer, they see the issue in a different perspective.

There is a very short window of time between harvesting paddy and sowing wheat at the end of the Kharif season. Paddy is a water-intensive crop, and its cultivation can legally begin only around mid-June. Thanks to massive mechanisation (coupled with scarce labour after NREGA), either the farmers need to invest in expensive, rarely used agricultural implements, or burn the residue right on the field.

Farmers have been demanding incentives/bonus or per acre or per quintal additional amount to dispose of the straw. There is need to make burning the straw seem like an economic loss to the farmer, but much of the stress is on stronger monitoring and enforcement, via even punitive measures like fines.

Now, the focus is on equipping the Combines with the super straw management system. The NGT has already ordered that no farmer be allowed to harvest paddy with harvester without carrying out necessary modifications. Such a system cuts down straw into small pieces before releasing it in fields. Farmer bodies say the government is interpreting the NGT's order as per convenience. They are not doing anything on the other portion of the order wherein the tribunal has asked the state governments to provide equipment like happy seeders free of cost to marginal farmers having land up to 2 acres and provide cost of using such machines to farmers having land beyond 2 acres.

They are demanding Rs 6,000 per acre compensation to make arrangements for residue or a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal on paddy.

With paddy harvest approaching, Punjab's fields seem set to see fires, and farmers will be in a conflict situation with the government. The heavy smog in Delhi, coupled with the after-effects of Diwali crackers will hog the headlines once again -- all because governments did not do the right thing at the right time.

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