As kharif harvesting season is approaching, the government is contemplating a new incentivise based approach to address this.
Why is stubble burned?
There is usually an urgency to plant the next crop.
So, farmers generally do not have time to let the previous crop’s residue (stubble) to decompose in the field to turn into compost.
The high labour cost makes harvesting the stubble to clear the fields undesirable.
Burning them in the field itself is the quickest and the cheapest way to get rid of them.
Most farmers, therefore, prefer to defy the ban on burning and pay the penalty for it - which is usually less than the removal cost.
What are its implications?
About 35 million tonnes of crop waste is burnt in Punjab and Haryana alone.
This releases enormous amounts of particulate matter, ash and environment and health injurious gases such as carbon monoxide.
These contaminants contribute majorly to air pollution in north India, including the national capital region of Delhi.
This happens during the early winter months of November & December which coincides with the kharif harvesting season.
How has the government handled this situation?
Monitoring - Delhi High Court recently ordered concerned governments to use satellite imagery to prevent burning.
But despite collection of penalties imposed by governments, preventing burning has not been effective.
Rewards - Environment Pollution Control Authority – EPCA has conceived a new reward mechanism for not burning stubble.
EPCA is trying to get bio-power producers and other waste utilising industries to purchase this crop residue for use as supplementary feedstock.
The response from companies seems fairly encouraging with “National Thermal Power Corporation” - NTPC as well as some private entities having expressed willingness.
NTPC seems ready to even harvest stubble on its own cost and then pay the farmers an amount for the stuff collected.
Hence, instead being a legally barred activity requiring penal action, it is now expected to be viewed as an additional source of income.
What are some noteworthy possibilities for the future?
Mechanisations - Machines that can gather the stubble and sow seeds in one go are already available.
Some machines sow without even the removal of previous residue.
Such technologies need to be encouraged regardless of their high costs.
This is possible by facilitating the emergence of a vibrant services sector that provide such equipments to farmers.
Targeted Subsidising – Some states are already offering up to 40% subsidy currently on versatile machinery.
Such production enhancing incentives for bio-power producers and farm machinery manufacturers could also be considered.
The Centre should also contribute to this effort along with states as this would help protect both the environment and human health.
