25-year-old Hirdapur farmer manages stubble without burning for 7 years
A small farmer from the nondescript village in Patiala has been leading by example without setting fire to paddy stubble for seven years. This farmer has been creating awareness and also urging youth to talk to their family elders against setting their fields on fire after harvest.
The 25-year-old, Amarjit Singh, a farmer from Hirdapur village in the district, has been managing stubble on his four acres of land as he incorporates it into the fields using a Happy Seeder without the need to burn it.
He said, “Smoke emanating from the fields troubles not everyone in and around our villages. It's high time we stop setting fields on fire.”
Amarjit Singh said previously his fields experienced problems with ‘Gully danda’ (Phalaris minor), which would appear in the fields before the wheat grows, and the wheat yield was also around three-and-a-half quintals per bigha. He said, however, that since he began to manage the stubble in the fields without burning, the problem has gradually disappeared, adding that there was no need to spray anything against it. Additionally, he said, the crop yield had also increased by a quintal per bigha.
He said not burning stubble had led to reduced fertiliser usage, prevented waterlogged fields, and avoided problems with wheat crops falling. He urged other farmers to manage stubble in the fields. He said this approach increased the soil fertility and also contributed towards a safe environment.
Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray praised Amrjit Singh. He said the young farmer served as an inspiration to others. “We are constantly working to ensure that the number of farm fires is curtailed, and young farmers such as Amarjit Singh are a perfect example, and other farmers must learn from him,” he said.
As per official figures, against cumulative 83,002 fire counts on account of paddy stubble burning in Punjab during 2020, the fire counts in the corresponding period were 71,304 during 2021, 49,922 during 2022, and 36,663 during 2023. Punjab thus recorded an overall 27 per cent decrease in the total fire counts owing to paddy stubble burning during 2023 as compared to 2022.
