Farm fire rages in neighbourhood, Delhi suffers

1. Farm fire rages in neighbourhood, Delhi suffers Farmers claim stubble burning is cheaper as they can’t afford subsidised machines As Delhi’s air pollution has risen to an alarming level, the infamous “paddy straw” burning by the farmers of Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab has aggravated the ever-deteriorating pollution level in the national Capital and its peripheral areas. In Haryana paddy straw were being burnt at Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar areas, whereas Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind and Kaithal are yet to start weeding out stubble. Farmers prefer burning stubble at night in the false hope that satellite won’t catch images at night. Due to Covid-19 this year, there is a shortage of labourers mainly supplied from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in Haryana and Punjab and farmers alleged that opting stubble burning is cheaper for them as they can’t afford subsidised machines used for weeding out straw. The Pioneer carried out a fact check in the fields of Haryana to know the reasons behind paddy straw burning by the farmers year after year. The Pioneer team visited Haryana and met farmers in Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts who told the daily that stubble burning was largely because the subsidy for machines wasn’t covering the costs of the equipment and the labour involved.

2. Farmers said burning paddy straw was still much cheaper and easier to burn the residue. According to Arvind Kumar, a farmer at Pundri village near Kurukshetra, farmers know about the repercussions of burning crop stubble and that’s why you won’t come across a single farmer who really wants to continue with the practice. “But the cost of disposing of crop residue is so prohibitive that most farmers are forced to set the stubble on fire. The fact that Government officials want us to use expensive machines clearly shows that they are far removed from reality and in Haryana 70 per cent owns land less than 10 acres,” he said. Shobit, a farmer in Indri near Karnal, said sharp fall in the prices of their produce and the rising cost of diesel, widely used in tractors and farm equipment has halted their work and forced them to get indulged in this decades old practice. Meanwhile, the department of agriculture authorities in Haryana claimed that there is a steep fall in paddy burning this year. According to data from September 25 till October 15, 274 fire locations were traced in Ambala, 168 in Fatehabad, 73 in Hisar, 148 in Jind, 335 in Kaithal, 468 in Karnal, 441 in Kurukshetra, 134 in Yamunanagar, 24 in Panipat, 15 in Panchkula, 29 in Palwal, 39 in Sirsa and 36 in Sonipat. “Last year there were 1,123 cases of stubble burning till November in Karnal and this year till October 14 there were 370 cases whereas 70 per cent of paddy has been harvested while the remaining 30 per cent which is basmati rice will be harvest in coming days,” said Aditya Dabas, Deputy Director, Agriculture department in Karnal. Dabas also claimed that farmers this year are also stocking their crop residue (paddy straw) in their villages collectively to sell it to fodder companies which are available on the Haryana Government website. Meanwhile another farmer from Yamunanagar, who doesn’t wish to be named said farmers prefer to burn stubble and pay penalty rather than weed out the stubbles and the reason for this is that the cost of stubble burning is cheaper as penalty works out to be around Rs 2,500 per acre. “But if they don’t burn it then the stubble processing cost comes around Rs 6,000-7,000 per acre. The cost of stubble processing includes rent of machinery, diesel charge and labour charges. However, farmers contend that access to straw management equipment comes at a higher cost than environmental compensation. Straw management equipment is beyond the means of a small and marginal farmer,” he said. According to farmers in Haryana, the rental cost of a combine harvester is Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000 per acre which includes transportation charge.

3. “The cost of diesel is also borne by the farmer. Four to five litre diesel needs per acre. If the cost of labour, crushing of straw cost and other costs included, it will come around Rs 6,000 to Rs 7000 per acre in Punjab and Haryana,” said Satywan Dangi, a farmer in Rohtak area adding that’s was the reason the Government incentive failed to attract farmers. There are three machines which can be used to deal with the residual wastes on a field as a farmer goes from harvesting to planting the next crop. “These are the Bailer, the Mulcher and the Happy Seeder. They cost in lakh each and no single farmer can be expected to block that amount of money. So, as mechanical solutions go, these machines need to be shared to be affordable,” said an expert. The Bailer cuts the wastes and makes bales which can then be sold, mostly as fodder. The Mulcher cuts and spreads the wastes on the fields so that they serve as mulch and nourish the soil. The Happy Seeder plants the seeds of the next crop in between the stubble left behind from the harvest and over time the stubble itself becomes mulch. “The problem is that no machine has universal application. The Happy Seeder has received the most attention, but it has its limitations depending on the height of the stalks. Also, it won’t work if the next crop is potato and not wheat,” said the expert.