Punjab: As field fires pick up pace, farmers seek bale-out options

LUDHIANA: At a time when crop fires have picked up pace throughout Punjab, including Ludhiana, there are farmers who are going against the trend of burning stubble. That has been possible as a number of groups have given them the option of going for bales of crop residue which could be used as bio fuel.
According to the satellite-based data of Punjab Remote Sensing Centre provided by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Ludhiana district reported 1,214 active fire events (kharif season) between September 15 and November 4. In comparison, the number stood at 1,607 active fires till November 2 last year.
On November 2 alone, 198 such incidents were reported from various parts of Ludhiana district which was the highest in the ongoing paddy harvesting season.
A ground visit to various areas suggested that in Sidhwan Bet area which was a hot spot for crop fires, lesser number of farmers seem to be burning stubble as compared to previous years. Even though there were some active fires on Hambran road near a petrol pump, Bhundri area and near Leelan village, there were many fields wherein bales of stubble were lying which were to be transported by a group to a factory.
Surjit Singh, a farmer, said this year, lesser number of farmers have set stubble on fire during the ongoing paddy season. He said a group of persons have made bales of stubble in several fields in the area which is why substantial number of farmers have not resorted to crop fires.
In Jagraon area, especially on the road between Jagraon and Raikot, many farm fires were seen on Agwar area, Kamalpura, Near Bassiyan village. Also on the road between Raikot and Ludhiana, stubble burning was visible at a few places.
A farmer at Akhara village near Jagraon said a majority of farmers set stubble on fire in the evening hours as not many officials are there to check stubble burning. He said many farmers don’t want to burn stubble and cause pollution, but they are helpless as they cannot bear the cost of transportation of such a huge quantity of crop residue.
In Khanna area, two farmers were seen setting stubble on fire near Payal town. Farm fires were also seen in Devipur Chima area where three persons who apparently had set the farm land on fire kept a close watch on passersby. In the same area, two elderly persons, including a woman, were seen coughing heavily due to thick smoke emanating from the fields. Active farm fires were also reported from Karodian, Nasrali area and Turmuri village.
Meanwhile, the authorities said that they are trying to persuade farmers on not to burn stubble. Chief agriculture officer Amanjit Singh said that they are requesting farmers not to burn stubble.
He said in many areas, including Sidhwan Bet and Khanna, they have roped in some groups involved in making bales which they provide to certain companies for fuel or to make cardboard.
“We have made 84 red ink entries of farmers who were found burning stubble in their fields in the district. Besides we have collected Rs 2.67 lakh as penalty from farmers for stubble burning,” said the agriculture department officer.
'Marginal improvement'
Meanwhile, a progressive farmer who has spoken on stubble management in many state, national and international conferences said that there is some improvement in farm fire scenario in the district.
Sukhjit Diwal, a progressive farmer of a village near Khanna, said even as there is gradual improvement in farm fires scenario, stubble burning is still a grim reality. He said most farmers set stubble on fire as they find it difficult to transport the same for some useful purpose.
“Around 25-30 quintals of stubble is generated from an acre of land which is tough to handle. Even as there is availability of machinery to take care of stubble, many farmers can afford diesel in view of its rising prices. There are areas where diesel is given on subsidized rates to farmers to take care of such operations. The situation might be different if the government does the same here,” the progressive farmer said.