Barnala farmer managing paddy stubble on 65 acres with subsidised machines
KS Diwan/ royalpatiala.in/ Barnala
Gurmail Singh, a farmer resident of Kothe Dullat of Handiaya town in Barnala district, has set an example for others by not setting up his fields on fire in the hurry to clear them for next crop. Gurmail Singh has been managing the stubble on around 65 acres with in-situ management of crop residue from the last two years with the help of modern agricultural implements including Reversible MB Plough, Happyseeder, Chopper etc. Gurmail Singh and some other farmers of the village have formed a group to avail around 80 percent subsidy on hi-tech agricultural implements being provided by Punjab Government to deal with the menace.
Farmer Gurmail Singh said that in 2017, they decided not to set crop residue on fire on 25 acres as experiment after the agricultural department officials motivated them to save the environment. He added that the experiment resulted in better-quality wheat crop as the straw mixed in the soil became organic fertilizer for the crop.
Gurmail Singh said that in 2018, they had sown wheat on 25 acres with happyseeder after cutting the paddy stubble into pieces with the help of chopper which was later mixed in soil with MB plough. He added that around 20 acres were sown directly with wheat sowing machine as all the stubble was cleared with baler machines and rest of the crop was sown with rotavator machine.
“To put our efforts in reducing pollution, we have decided not to burn paddy stubble in future. We are also making other farmers aware of the ill-effects of burning crop residue and sensitizing them to manage the stubble though cutting and spreading it on the field or incorporating it into the soil as opposed to burning,” Gurmail Singh said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Barnala Tej Pratap Singh Phoolka also appealed other farmers to stop the malpractice of burning crop residue. Deputy Commissioner said that besides other harmful effects on environment of burning stubble, it also reduces the fertility of soil and would also have a positive impact in reducing use of chemical fertilizers.
