The peak in the number of stubble-burning incidents has passed for Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and there will be a downward trend in farm fires in the coming years, Arvind Kumar Nautiyal, Member Secretary, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining Areas, told The Hindu in an interview.
Also read | India strives to cut stubble burning to zero to curb pollution
Though Punjab is doing better than Haryana in terms of percentage fall in farm fires, Mr. Nautiyal said it is difficult to compare the two States due to other factors involved. Edited excerpts:
Farm fires have reduced in Punjab. This year, the number of farm fires fell by 53% when compared with the period from September 15 to October 25 a year ago. What is working out?
Till 2021, a focused approach was missing. When the Commission was constituted in April 2021, we took up stubble burning as one of the priority areas.
We promoted crop diversification and basmati variety of rice. The stubble generated after the harvesting of basmati variety is used as fodder for cattle.
PUSA 44 was long-duration (for maturity) variety and generated a lot of straw. The duration of maturity and the quantum of straw generation has been reduced in the case of PR 126, which substituted PUSA 44 to a great extend.
What changed in terms of planning?
This time, we made district-specific plans for the management of stubble and made deputy commissioners or deputy magistrates accountable for it.
Right from the formulation of the plans, the deputy commissioners were involved. We started our preparations well in advance in February.
What about stubble management machines?
Earlier too, there were schemes under which farmers were given subsidy to procure machines for stubble management. But in the past four years, the central assistance to the crop residue management scheme has picked up.
We have also made the custom hiring centres (farm machinery banks) accountable for the utilisation of machines lying with them. We asked them that these should be provided to the maximum number of end users.
What are the governments doing for the ex situ management of stubble (taking stubble away from fields for use at factories etc.)?
Developing an ecosystem for it is a major challenge. Straw requires to be processed before it is transported from a farm to another place. We are developing an ecosystem and supply chain for its processing and storage. The government too is giving subsidy for buying baler machines.
Has the peak of farm fires passed in Punjab and will there be a downward trend?
Of course, it is beyond any doubt that we have passed the peak in terms of the number of farm fires. In 2021, there was about 10% year-on-year drop and 2022 saw a drop of about 30%.
In Haryana, the number of farm fires fell in 2020, but rose by about 66% in 2021, and then fell by 48% in 2022. Is the situation in Haryana different from Punjab? In Haryana, has the peak passed too?
Yes, that is a universal statement for these three states (Punjab, Haryana, and U.P.). We have progressed much. We are not talking about reducing 200 or 300 fires, but reducing thousands of fires and a substantial reduction of 30% or 40% in such incidents.
Percentage fall is better in Punjab. Is it performing better than Haryana?
There cannot be a comparison between both States. The percentage change is not always a good way to measure performance. Controlling farm fires from 2,000 incidents to 1,000 is not the same as controlling them from 60,000 incidents to 30,000. The former is tougher. Last year, Haryana’s farm fire count was about 3,000. This year, it is likely to be around 1,500.
In 2019, the Supreme Court directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to provide ₹100 per quintal as financial assistance to small and marginal farmers for managing paddy stubble. Is this happening?
That is not happening. But State governments are extending their own incentives. In Haryana, there is an incentive for in situ (leaving the crop residue on the field and allowing it to decompose naturally) and ex situ management. Monetary incentives are lacking in Punjab compared with Haryana.
Farmers and unions have been saying that they can manage stubble by ploughing it back into the soil. But they need money and have been asking for it from the government. Is giving financial assistance to farmers to manage stubble being considered?
See, giving financial assistance can be counter-productive at times. They might say “I’m burning, so give me money so that I don’t burn”. And that will extend to other crops, that was the fear of the Ministry of Agriculture. So, the government said they will facilitate indirect procurement of machines.
The use of a bio-decomposer, which is sprayed on stubble to reduce stubble burning, saw a good response in Delhi, according to a third-party study. Is the method being used in Punjab?
It is being used in Punjab in a very limited way. But Haryana and UP are going ahead with it in a big way. This year, the plan is to use it on 8,000 acres in Punjab, which is very less. In Haryana, it will be used on about 5 lakh acres.
What are the challenges in controlling stubble burning?
Though farmers are moving to ex situ stubble management as there is an income there, the facilitating ecosystem has gaps. The push for ex situ equipment came only in the past one or two years. So, the number of such machines is not high.
Despite the drop in farm fires, the number is still very high. What are your future plans?
All measures are going to continue and may be some course correction is required. There is lot of potential to be tapped in ex-situ stubble management. For example, about 2.5 million tonnes of stubble can be consumed only by power plants.
Many plans are in the pipeline. A large number of compressed biogas plants are in the process of being commissioned. These will start using stubble as fuel to generate biogas once commissioned.
Published - October 31, 2023 01:50 am IST
