TAD News Desk, New Delhi: Supreme Court has intervened in the matter of stubble farming yet Punjab has seen a sharp-rise in stubble farming this Kharif season.
The court had ordered states to provide an incentive of 2,400 per acre to small and medium farmers and also provide subsidy in the purchase of machinery to manage crop residue. Farmers in Niamian village near Kurali in Punjab claim that there is no ground achievement shown by the government.
State Government has informed the Supreme Court that the pandemic has put a financial restraint on the budget rendering to the non-payment of the incentives to the farmers.
Government help is denied due to financial restraints and pandemic and on the other hand a tight slap of Rs. 40 lakhs and over 190 FIRs.
“Farmers are being fined such large amounts. How can they pay this sum? The ones who can, can also buy the machinery to manage the stubble,” Bhaag Singh, a farmer, told the reporters.
“The government tells us to make bundles of paddy residue. No one in our area has this machinery. Even if we rent it from someone, the whole process delays the sowing of the next crop,” spoke Jaspal Singh.
He further said “We can’t even decompose this residue easily. Farmers who have tried to decompose this residue using Happy Seeder machines have seen their crop spoil. If we could decompose this residue in time using water from the tube wells, we wouldn’t burn it.”
Jitender Singh, who isn’t burning crop residue for last two years, “These machines are also not available easily. We have to clear our fields quickly to sow the next crop. Suddenly, everyone in the village needs machines. The demand becomes high. I feel it is better to get it removed manually using labourers, which I have been doing.”
Source –The Wire
