Amritsar farmer shows the way
At a time when most of the farmers are burning crop residue, Harmandeep Singh of Baserke Gilla village near Attari has become an inspiration for others as he had stopped the practice four years ago.
Further, this progressive farmer has also become a torch-bearer and showing the way to his neighbours, fellow residents and relatives. “Many of the farmers staying nearby and my close relatives have stopped burning residue,” said Harmandeep, adding that he had so far managed to influence at least 70 farmers.
“People have to see it to believe it. When I stopped burning stubble, my friends and relatives were convinced about the need to shun it. In a way, every farmer who has not burnt residue this season is an inspiration for someone near him,” he said.
Harmandeep said initially people were reluctant, but when he showed them the results on his farm, they were ready to give it a try. He claimed that he had not even burnt a single straw of paddy or wheat on his 10-acre farm in the past four years.
“Letting the residue decompose in the fields has improved the quality of soil. It is softer now because of which the crops can expand their roots easily. It has helped in increasing the yield,” he added.
Harmandeep said he was using a super-seeder machine to sow wheat. “I can boast that my fields would have better yield than the farmers who have burnt residue,” he said, adding that his cost on buying fertilisers, especially urea, had gone down.
While talking about efforts needed to motivate farmers to stop burning crop residue, Harmandeep suggested that small farmers needed special attention. “A super-seeder costs over Rs 2 lakh. Despite subsidy, most of them can’t afford it,” he said. He added that further mindset needs to be changed.
“It is not true that every farmer is burning residue. Over the years, the number of farmers who are shunning the practice is increasing. Perhaps if government can ensure a fair price of their crop, they would not even need any financial assistance or subsidy,” he summed.
