Farmers urged not to burn crop residue

Amritsar, May 14

Even as the number of farm fires being reported from fields in the district is comparatively low as compared to the previous years, the district administration has issued a fresh appeal to the farmers asking them not to burn wheat stubble.

The district reported only nine farm fire incidents on Sunday. It witnessed a total of 653 such incidents since April 1.

Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh Sudan said field officials of the administration were regularly keeping a check on farm fires and encouraging farmers to shun the practice. He said studies have proven that burning of crop residue deteriorates soil fertility and the requirement for fertiliser increases.

“In several cases, smoke from fields led to road accidents, resulting in loss of life. A large number of trees and saplings in agricultural fields and alongside roads are damaged every year,” he said.

Sudan said the government had supplied the required machines for alternative management of crop residue to farmers and farmer groups on subsidised rates. Custom hiring centres had also been set up for farmers from where they can get these machines.

The Deputy Commission said a large section of the farming community has already stopped burning crop residue. “Gradually, the mindset is changing and farmers are coming forward to shun the practice,” he said.

Chief Agriculture Officer Jatinder Singh Gill said letting the crop residue decompose in the fields helps in increasing the quantity of essential nutrients in soil. It helps in ensuing better growth and yield of crops without much requirement for chemical fertilisers.