Haryana Plan for Reduction in Farm Fires | 28 Aug 2024

Why in News?

Recently, The government of Haryana has developed a framework to make use of all the leftover stubble after the harvesting of paddy crops.

• This initiative aims to reduce the occurrence of farm fires, which contribute to the hazardous air pollution in northern India during the onset of winter every year.

Key Points

• The agriculture department has estimated that 38.8 lakh acres of farmland across Haryana will be utilized for the cultivation of paddy in 2024. These crops are projected to generate 81 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of residues.
  • The residue, or straw, that remains after farmers harvest paddy is what they end up burning to quickly clear the land for another round of sowing.
• The state government is going to introduce Crop Residue Management scheme which involves:
  • In-situ stubble management involves chopping and mixing stubble into the soil as compost. To support this, the government will provide 90,000 machines, including slashers, and offer farmers Rs 1,000 per acre as an operational charge.
  • Ex-situ management incentivizes the use of stubble in industries, such as biomass for biofuels or raw material for packaging and cardboard units. This creates an economic alternative to stubble burning, as industries purchase crop residues from farmers.
    • The government's plan involves distributing 1,405 baler machines to districts, which will then be provided to farmers.
• This is aimed at making the collection and storage of crop residues more convenient. Additionally, officials are working on establishing partnerships with industries to purchase these crop residues.