Stubble burning menace-PPCB to send NSS volunteers to hotspots to spread awareness- Chairman
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
Chairman, PPCB,Prof. Satwinder Singh Marwaha, addressing a video conference on 29.9.2020 on ‘curbing stubble burning to improve air quality during pandemic of COVID-19’ organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI) in association with PPCB, emphasized that farmers should not burn crop residue in fields which degrades air quality resulting into spreading of pandemic of COVID-19 being respiratory diseases, besides affecting the soil health due to loss of nutrients and flaura/fauna required to enrich the soil.He also stated that maintaining clean environment is the responsibility of every citizen especially during the present COIVD-19 pandemic.
He added that that although mandate of PPCB is regulatory and to impose penalty on violators indulging in the burning of paddy stubble,but despite the regulatory functions, PPCB is playing advisory role by persuading the farmers through various ways and means not to set the stubble on ablaze.
He further informed that in 2018, PPCB took the help of NSS volunteers of colleges affiliated to Punjabi University and over 500 students divided in groups of 20 students visited 4300 villages of Punjab to persuade farmers not to indulge in burning the crop residue. As a result fire incidents decreased by 12-13% in these villages.
He also informed that in 2019, a meeting to create awareness among farmers, was convened in PAU where VCs of all universities of Punjab participated. It was decided to send more than 1.2 lac volunteers to around 12,750 villages to sensitize farmers about the harmful affects of stubble burning. Although the number of fire incidents was more in 2019 but the acreage under stubble burning went down.
Stubble burning menace-PPCB to send NSS volunteers to hotspots to spread awareness- Chairman. Marwaha said the major bottle neck in the management of paddy stubble is due to small window between paddy harvesting and sowing of wheat. Therefore, PPCB has planned to demonstrate experiment of in-situ incorporation of stubble by using micro consortia to degrade the crop residue on 500 acre in the 4 districts of Fazilka, Bathinda, Moga and Ferozepur. He stated that the companies supplying micro consortia have claimed that the degradation period will gradually come down to 15 days over 3 years period thus solving the problem of paddy management.
Appealing the farmers to curb stubble burning, the Guest of Honor Dr. J S Mahal, Director of Extension Education, PAU, Ludhiana said that stubble burning cannot be justified. Therefore, farmers should use all available techniques for management of crop residue. Dr. Mahal added that due to the efforts of PAU and Punjab Government, the crop burning incidents have gone down by 60%. He added that expensive machinery and tools are not necessary for management of crop residue because it can be done easily with the tools available with the farmers.
Addressing the conference from California, Dr. Baldev Singh Bhangu, Agri Specialist, Deptt. of Food and Agriculture, California & Former Prof., PAU shared that advance & cheap machines for recycling the crop residue are available in USA that can be used. Triple press is used to conveniently store the crop stubbles as they occupy less space. He also stated that stubbles can also be converted into small pellets and used as manure. The farmers should come forward to adopt advanced technologies for management of paddy stubble.
Sukhwinder Pal Singh, Executive Director, Sikhar Trading Ltd., Vancouver, Canada suggested that NRIs should be involved in persuading farmers for stopping stubble burning. He said that the farmer himself is the first one to be affected when he burns the crop residue.
Rajmohan Singh Kaleka,a progressive farmer from Patiala shared that farmers need to be educated about the useful and easy technology available for crop residue management so that the menace of residue burning could be curbed.
Jagdeep Singh Rajoana , a progressive farmer from Ludhiana shared how he has been benefitting by mixing the crop stubble in the fields. He mentioned that his crop yield of potatoes has increased without any additional inputs.
All other speakers,R.S Sachdeva, Mentor, PHD State Chapter, PHDCCI; B M Sharma, Chairman, Agri Committee- Punjab State Chapter, PHDCCI; Dr. V S Hans, Head Renewable Energy Mechanical Engineering, PAU, Ludhiana; Dr. O P Chowdhry, Head- Department of Soils, PAU, Ludhiana; Er. G S Gill, XEN,PPCB; Prof. Paramveer Singh, Punjabi University, Patiala; Dr. Lavleesh Garg, Skill Development Centre of PAU, Ludhiana; Dr. Rajbir Singh Brar, Director, ICAR- ATARI, Ludhiana; Manmohan Kalia, Joint Director, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Punjab; Dr. Harminder Singh Sidhu, Director, GBDSGNS Foundation; Dr. Manjit Singh, Head- Farm Machinery & Power Engineering, PAU, Ludhiana, discussed the various methods for in-situ management of paddy and adoption of ex-situ uses of paddy stubble to provide cleaner air to the citizens and to control the pandemic of COVID-19. More than 100 progressive farmers over the State and various agri stakeholders attended and benefited from the programme.
Stubble burning menace-PPCB to send NSS volunteers to hotspots to spread awareness- Chairman.Thanking the participants, RS Sachdeva, Mentor, PHD State Chapter, PHDCCI appealed to the farmers not to set the paddy stubble on ablaze to protect the air quality and to join hands with the State Govt. to control the pandemic of COVID-19.
October,2,2020
