Crop residue management: As Punjab pushes for more machines, experts look for sustainable solutions

In the coming years, Punjab, on the defensive after being accused of turning Delhi into a “gas chamber” during paddy harvesting season every year, may look to add more such machines. Agriculture experts, however, feel the government should look at sustainable solutions and not the ones that could force Punjab into a junkyard of agricultural machinery. They feel the money thus spent on these machines should be utilised on diversification and compensating the farmers.

“Punjab needs only 1 lakh tractors. And we have over 5 lakh of them. We are that surplus. This only adds on to farmers’ distress. The way the banks have reduced the limit of landholdings of farmers for extending loan for tractors, it is only turning out to be uneconomical,” said Devinder Sharma, a noted agriculture expert.

He added that the problem is not just confined to a tractor, which costs Rs 7 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, but also about the accessories like power tillers. “Why does Punjab need so many tractors? We were already grappling with those machines that the government is now planning to have CRM machines for every hectare. They are talking about balers now. Where is the happy seeder? They have superseeders now.”

If farmers purchase these machines, then they are given 50 per cent subsidy and if a cooperative society purchases them then they are given 80 per cent subsidy. He said it was the need of the hour to look at sustainable solutions to the menace instead of a CRM machine that is a whole set of five machines. “For instance, the Punjab Agricultural University recently signed an agreement with experts who suggested a seedbox for residue management. If we needed just a seedbox then why this machinery?” he asked.

He added that the CRM machines will be utilised for only three weeks a year. “These will keep lying idle throughout the year. Is it worth it? In five years, the state will be a junkyard. This is what we had down with combine harvesters. Thankfully, those machines are engaged for four to five months every year as these are sent to Madhya Pradesh and other wheat-growing states from March onwards. Otherwise, these too were not of much utility.”

Dr K S Aulakh, former Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, who has been a critic of excessive mechanisation, said, “For instance, a tractor is viable only if it works for 1,000 hours. Here in Punjab, its utility is only 200-250 hours. These are being used only for dharnas and protests now or are often seen on the roads. Why were so many of these needed in the first place? Our policies are lopsided.”

He said there is no one to guide the farmers. “I have 15 acres in Humbran. I borrow the tractor from Humbran Cooperative Society in Ludhiana each time. It is serving my purpose,” he said. Instead of spending a lot on CRM machines, Dr Aulakh said, the government should rather think of a solution for diversification,

“What are they doing? We should do away with paddy now. They came up with the idea of Moongi. But nobody gave the farmers the promised price. They are giving Rs 10,000 crore as power subsidy to the farmers every year. If we do away with paddy and think of something else, we can reduce the power subsidy by more than half and utilise this money in diversification,” he pointed out.

Former Commissioner, Agriculture, Punjab, Balwinder Singh Sidhu said that while Punjab already suffers from “tractorisation” of agriculture, the CRM is highly mechanised and grossly underutilised. It is leading to bad debts and over investment in agriculture.”

“Government’s investment in this program is wasted if you go by stubble fires. It is also wastage of farmers money as the machines are under utilised.” He said during Dr GS Kalkat’s tenure as chairman of Punjab Farmers Commission, in 2006-07, the commission had written to State Bank of India to give tractor loans to only those farmers, who have land holdings exceeding 8 acres only. “The concerns had arose when it was stated that the at least 30 per cent of farm debt was related to purchase of machines only.”