Shillong, October 29: The state of Haryana is confronting the complex issue of crop residue head-on, offering farmers substantial subsidies ranging from 50 to 80 percent for equipment designed for residue management.
Additionally, they’re providing financial incentives to encourage paddy diversification into alternative crops, a critical step in curbing pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) during the winter season, primarily attributed to the paddy season.
As per IANS, under this comprehensive plan, Haryana aims to efficiently manage 37 lakh tonnes of paddy straw, with a significant portion of this resource being repurposed by various industries. Approximately 13.54 lakh metric tonnes of straw are earmarked for consumption by major industries, while the government intends to manage five lakh acres of paddy straw with the assistance of the Pusa Bio Decomposer.
The Haryana government reports that, between 2018-19 and 2021-22, they provided 41,331 crop residue management machines and equipment to individual farmers with a 50 percent subsidy. This initiative aimed to reduce pollution in Delhi-NCR caused by biomass burning. Furthermore, they established 6,775 custom hiring centers with an 80 percent subsidy and allocated over Rs 584 crore as subsidies to support farmers.
In the fiscal year 2022-23, a total of 7,294 farmers acquired crop residue management agricultural machinery with a subsidy of Rs 82 crore. The Indian government has also allocated Rs 300 crore to Haryana for scheme implementation.
Haryana currently boasts over 80,000 crop residue management machines. Recent satellite images released by NASA have exposed discrepancies in claims made by the governments of Delhi and Punjab regarding farm fires. Punjab records more than double the instances of active biomass burning compared to Haryana, highlighting Haryana’s significant efforts in tackling this issue.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar emphasizes the importance of collaboration for climate-smart agriculture success, and he has stated that Haryana experiences fewer biomass burning incidents compared to Punjab, which has seen over 4,000 such cases to date. The government offers financial incentives to discourage stubble burning and encourages the commercial utilization of crop residue.
The state provides financial incentives for in-situ or ex-situ paddy crop residue management, diversification of paddy areas with alternative crops, and the adoption of water-saving direct sowing of rice. Panchayats achieving zero-burning targets in ‘red zones’ receive rewards of Rs 1 lakh, and ‘yellow zones’ get Rs 50,000 as an incentive.
Haryana’s approach has yielded positive results, with a significant reduction in stubble burning incidents, benefiting both the environment and farmers. This success story is not limited to governmental efforts; it also involves partnerships with various corporations and initiatives like Birlasoft’s ‘Shodhan’ that have raised awareness and provided sustainable solutions to combat crop residue burning.
As a result of these efforts, Haryana has prevented the burning of 27,000 tonnes of rice straw and recycled nearly 25,000 tonnes of biomass into the soil. These achievements signify a significant step towards a cleaner and more sustainable agricultural landscape in the region.