BKU leader Gurnam Singh Charuni urges farmers to add paddy stubble to soil

Ambala, October 12

Amid a gradual rise in farm fires, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh has urged farmers to add the paddy stubble to the soil as it was beneficial for the agricultural field and also protects the environment.

However, the BKU chief has also asked the government not to harass the farmers by imposing fines on them as the farmers had been facing various issues, including lower availability of machines to manage the residue and shorter window for sowing of potato crop. In a video message to the paddy growers, Gurnam said: “It has come to notice that the people who used to prepare the paddy bales are not showing much interest this year as they have been facing some issues in the sales. The government should setup more power plants and make it mandatory for the sugar mills to use stubble as fuel. If the farmers get machines and the bales are lifted from their fields in time, the farmers will not burn the stubble.”

The farm leader said: “The department should educate the farmers about the benefits of adding the stubble to the soil. Farmers should not burn the stubble, if they have time to manage it.”

The move of the BKU chief has come as a boost for the Agriculture Department officials, who have been struggling to motivate farmers not to burn stubble. Deputy Director Agriculture Ambala Jasvinder Saini said: “The motivation for farmers from the farmer union leader will definitely help the department. ”