A decade-long struggle Campaigns to CRM, FIRs to red entry: How Punjab reduced farm fires by 94%

But how did Punjab manage to decrease paddy stubble burning by around 94 per cent?

The answer to this lies in a multi-pronged approach developed over several years, involving a range of stakeholders — farmers, government agencies, environmental organisations, and industry leaders. From awareness campaigns, to crop residue management, from getting FIRs registered to putting land in red entry, Punjab did all it takes to achieve the milestone.

For years, Punjab was tagged as the main contributor to air pollution in North India, particularly during the harvest season when paddy fields were often set on fire to clear the residue before sowing wheat. This practice coincided with winter, aggravating the already poor air quality in the National Capital Region.

NASA images from the early part of the past decade, showing widespread burning of fields in Punjab, combined with criticism from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court, painted Punjab as the leading contributor to air pollution.

Stubble burning: A study in numbers

The first step was to identify the problem so Punjab introduced satellite monitoring of farm fires through the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) in 2016. This provided the government with accurate data to understand the extent of the crisis. That year, Punjab recorded 80,879 farm fires, the highest in a decade.

In the first major initiative to tackle the problem, Crop Residue Management (CRM) programme was launched in 2018-19, offering financial subsidies to farmers, ranging from 50 per cent for individual farmers to 80 per cent for groups of farmers, to purchase machinery that could help manage crop residue without burning it.

Jaswant Singh, Director of Punjab Agriculture, said that initially, adoption was slow, as many farmers still relied on the cheaper and quicker method of burning stubble. “However, once the government ramped up the distribution of machinery such as Happy Seeders, Mulchers, MB ploughs, and Super SMS, farmers turned towards it. These machines could incorporate paddy straw into the soil, allowing farmers to sow wheat while simultaneously managing stubble,” he said.

Despite these efforts, Punjab recorded the second-highest number of farm fires in 2020 during the Covid year, with 76,929 cases. This year, the total number of farm fires is 5,114 fires, a 53 per cent decrease from 2024.

In several awareness campaigns, farmers were taught the long-term impact of stubble burning on soil health. They were told that stubble burning not only harmed the environment but degraded the soil, reducing its productivity. With this realization, they started embracing the new machinery and techniques provided by the government. The results were evident: the number of farm fires started decreasing every year, with a particularly notable reduction over the past two years.

Starting with around 25,000 machines in 2018-19, Punjab had distributed more than 1.48 lakh CRM machines by 2025, including 66,000 Super Seeders deployed across the state.

Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Punjab’s Agriculture and Farm Welfare Minister, said, “We have made great strides, but it’s not just about providing machines; it’s about creating an ecosystem where farmers understand the benefits of non-burning practices and how it contributes to their long-term productivity—and the success of several industries.”

Gradually, along with in-situ solutions like the Super Seeder, the government also developed ex-situ solutions to collect paddy straw for industrial use. These initiatives included transporting crop residue to biomass power plants, paper mills, and bioenergy plants. Jagdish Singh, Punjab’s Agricultre department Joint Director and Nodal officer for CRM Programme, said that this year alone, 7.50 million tonne of stubble was collected and repurposed for industrial use — either for biomass power plants, paper mills, or fodder. “This circular economy approach has made a significant difference in reducing the need for burning. While in-situ solutions are important for improving soil health, ex-situ solutions are crucial for sustaining industries, this year, in-situ machines were run on 100% paddy area (32.49 lakh hectares) in Punjab,” he said.

“Initially, only a few districts such as Pathankot, Ropar, and Hoshiarpur participated in this stubble collection programme due to their proximity to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, where there was demand for stubble both for fodder and for use in boiler units. By 2025, this network had expanded to cover districts such as Gurdaspur, Patiala, Jalandhar, and Kapurthala, with plans to reach the entire state in the coming years,” said he added.

In areas like Lehragaga (Sangrur), where a CBG (Compressed Bio gas) plant has been set up, one will notice a significant decrease in farm fires within a 4-5 km radius. This plant collects a huge amount of stubble from nearby areas, Jaswant Singh said, adding that a growing network of biomass power plants, paper mills, and paddy straw pallet-making units has become a cornerstone of Punjab’s stubble management strategy.

While Punjab mostly produces around 200 to 210  lakh tonnes of paddy stubble, this year, the total paddy stubble was 195 lakh tonnes as some was damaged due to floods.

A critical component of Punjab’s success has been the shifting role of farmers’ unions. In the past, some unions supported or even encouraged stubble burning, viewing it as a quick method to clear fields and even used to detain government officials when visited. However, in the recent years, these unions have remained silent on the issue, no longer supporting farmers who engage in stubble burning. In fact, 1,963 FIRs were registered this year against violators.

“There has been a clear shift in mindset among farmers. They now recognise that stubble burning harms not only the environment but their long-term soil productivity,” Khuddian said.

Jaswant also highlighted the role of district civil and police administrations, Pollution Control Board, and Agriculture Department officials in launching non-stop intense awareness campaigns and enforcing regulations.

“The combination of government interventions, media outreach, environmental NGOs, and educational programs has been crucial. Our schools, colleges, and district-level agencies have worked together to spread awareness about the harmful effects of stubble burning,” he said.

While Khuddian called the success a result of teamwork, Jaswant said that the focus should now shift to improving soil health and ensuring that CRM machinery continues to reach even the most remote areas.