Farmers Movement Archive

Stubble to manure: Spraying of solution on fields from October 11

NEW DELHI: Delhi government will start spraying a fermented liquid solution developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in fields from October 11 to turn stubble into manure. From Tuesday, it has started preparing the bio-decomposing solution under the guidance of IARI’s scientists at Kharkhari Nahar village. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the village to review the process, said, “The entire cost of creating the liquid solution for spraying it on 700 hectares of farm fields in Delhi is just Rs 20 lakh, which proves that it is a cheap alternative for farmers and can be adopted by neighbouring states.” Delhi government will provide the mixture and the entire spraying system to the farmers free of cost. Track the pollution level in your cityIARI has produced capsules that are mixed with a liquid fermented solution. “When the solution is sprayed on the field, it softens the stubble left behind. The hard straw gets converted into manure and improves the soil’s fertility,” said Kejriwal. “This is going to be a cost-effective alternative, improve crop produce and farmers will not have to burn the stubble.” Environment minister Gopal Rai said the government had set a target of spraying around 2,000 acre paddy fields in Delhi. “Our teams at block levels are explaining the process to farmers. We have received applications for 1,300 acre so far,” Rai said. Once the solution is sprayed, farmers can start sowing another crop in three days, he added. “However, it will take nearly 20 days for compost to be ready,” Rai pointed out. Stating that stubble burning is significantly less in Delhi than in the neighbouring states, Rai said, “The stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states contributes nearly 45% of air pollution in Delhi. We want to make Delhi a role model so that the other states can make no excuse for avoiding stubble burning.” The minister said the AAP government had requested Union minister Prakash Javadekar during their last meeting that every state government and the Centre should adopt this bio-decomposing technique to completely stop stubble burning. However, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) expressed dissatisfaction over the procedure. Birender Dagar, its Delhi unit president, said, “Only 1% of the Delhi farmers produce paddy and they do not burn stubble. The government should not waste money on bio-decomposer but help farmers in resolving other issues after consulting them.”

The Times of India

2020-10-06

Delhi