Farmers Movement Archive

Not much action, Delhi-NCR may choke again on farm fires

NEW DELHI: North India, including Delhi-NCR, may yet again be staring at extreme air pollution and smog in less than two months’ time, with no major change apparent in efforts to deal with stubble-burning in the affected states of the region. Upcoming elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and the continuing farmer agitation, also make it unlikely that punitive action will be taken against violators. On Wednesday, the Yogi government in UP announced that cases slapped against farmers for burning paddy stubbles would be withdrawn and the fine imposed on them waived. The state goes to polls early next year, along with Punjab, where the practice of burning is rampant. Agriculture fires are a major contributor to air pollution in north India in October-November. Under certain meteorological conditions, pollutants from these fires spread across the region, triggering smog and extreme air quality situations. While the poll-bound states are unlikely to come down hard on farmers for stubble-burning, the Centre too has watered down an ordinance it promulgated last year that had penal provisions against farmers burning their fields. This was one of the concessions made by the Centre during its talks with farm organisations agitating against the three new farm Acts. Not that efforts haven't been made to end the menace. Over the last three years, the Centre has been heavily subsidising various agricultural machines to help farmers to stop the practice, and even profit from the leftover paddy biomass. The state governments and other agencies have also been sensitising farmers on healthier practices. These efforts appeared to be bearing fruit when instances of stubble-burning dipped in 2019. However, with widespread anger among farmers in Punjab and Haryana over Centre’s new farm laws last year, these efforts suffered a setback. Farm fires surged substantially last October-November, by as much as 60% over the previous year, as per Nasa satellite data, with many seeing this as acts of defiance by farmers. Some experts are optimistic that stubble-burning would not be as high this year. "There are two main reasons why the biomass burning is likely to be less this year. One, there has been an increase of 10% in the acreage of short-duration paddy varieties in Punjab. These will be harvested early, giving farmers ample time to prepare their fields for the rabi crop," said M L Jat, principal scientist at the international non-profit organisation, CIMMYT. The second reason, Jat said, was the increase in the number of implements to help farmers manage crops sustainably. "There are 18,500 happy seeders with the farmers of Punjab and Haryana, and as many super seeders. These machines will be put to some use," the agro expert said. Other experts, however, said the low cost of burning the fields will be incentive enough for farmers, particularly with input costs of farming going up.

The Times of India

2021-08-27

Delhi