Awareness camps continue, but not much improvement on the ground

The government is holding awareness camps for farmers across the state in an effort to persuade them not to burn paddy stubble, but a lot of these efforts are coming a cropper.

Addressing farmers at a block-level awareness camp at Jamsher village here today, a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) official said, “Burning stubble is dangerous for environment and human health both. Instead of burning straw, stubble-management machines should be used to ensure its proper disposal.”

While some of the farmers were seen nodding in agreement, others didn’t seem much convinced.

Another official from the Agriculture Department said, “Farm fires also affect the nitrogen content in the soil. Hope you will not burn paddy stubble now on.” “They are saying the same thing time and again. The cost of managing paddy stubble is too high, while there is no cost involved in burning the straw,” said a farmer in his 60s.

Jamsher in Jalandhar East block is one of the hotspots in the district where seven stubble burning points were identified last year. Paddy is grown on 2,500 acres here. The Tribune talked to a few farmers who burnt stubble last year, but did not face any penalty or red entries in their revenue records.

“Although the move of making red entries in revenue records is unjust, we will have to obey, even if we suffer,” another farmer said.

A senior officer of the Agriculture Department said until and unless there was strictness, there would be no change on the ground.

Above 80 farmers from Jamsher and surrounding villages attended the camp and most of them agreed on one point: “We do not do it on purpose. We know the side-effects, but we have no option.”

Septuagenarian farmer Teja Singh has been growing paddy on 12 acres. He sat throughout the camp and as he started to leave on his bicycle, he said: “Even if we collect stubble, make bales and keep it aside, it isn’t lifted by the authorities for several days. We then have to set it on fire.”

The cooperative society at Jamsher village caters to eight nearby villages, including Dhina, Diwali, Sansarpur, Channanpur, Nanak Pindi etc. But, the society has only seven machines to manage stubble. There is one rotavator, two mulchers, two choppers and two MB ploughs.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal had recently said that 6,342 crop-residue management machines had been procured and village-level mapping was being done to ensure their optimal utilisation. Over 200 bailers had also been arranged to assist the farmers.

Efforts by the Agriculture Department and the administration, however, continue. Around 60 awareness camps have been organised by them over the past 11 days in various villages of the district.