Machines aplenty, but farm fires rage on in Punjab

Authorities have also marked 32 red entries in land revenue records. Amritsar has till date reported 55 farm fires, followed by Tarn Taran (11), Patiala (10), Malerkotla (4), and Kapurthala and Barnala (3 each). The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has physically verified 51 stubble burning sitesand environment compensation totaling Rs 2.30 lakh have been imposed in 48 cases, and Rs 1.80 lakh recovered.

Punjab accounts for 61.7% of the total farm fires reported from the six states including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi between September 15 to September 29, this year — as against 55.1% in 2024 (Last year, the official harvesting of paddy in Punjab had begun on October 1 while it was allowed from September 16 this due to advance tranplantation of paddy).

Burnt paddy stubble in a field on the outskirts of Jalandhar (Express Photo)

When such fires occur even before the peak pressure on CRM resources, the issue is not machine availability but economic feasibility and a lack of behavioral shift, an agriculture expert said. With 1.57 lakh CRM machines — 1.48 lakh distributed since 2018, and an additional 9,000 out of 12,500 planned for this year already been handed out — their presence doesn’t equate to accessibility. Even if 10% of them are non-functional, over 1.41 lakh machines are still operational, the expert said. If each machine manages just 23 hectares (around 57 acres), the entire stubble spread across more than 32 lakh hectares could be cleared within a week to 10 days of continuous operation. However, the ground reality tells a different story.

Several farmers, speaking to The Indian Express, pointed out that most of these machines are with Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), progressive farmers, and cooperative societies. Many cooperative societies have refused to provide machines on the pretext that they lack drivers to operate them and cannot afford to hire operators due to limited income. This was confirmed by an officer from the Punjab Agriculture Department in Ludhiana.

Access also doesn’t mean free usage. Farmers must pay to hire both the CRM machine and a compatible tractor, often of 50 horsepower or more, which significantly drives up operational costs. According to officials and farmers, hiring a Super Seeder costs between Rs 2,200 to 2,500 per acre. Renting a heavy-duty tractor can cost Rs 5,000 to 6,000 per day. For a marginal farmer with up to 2.5 acres of land, the cost may range between Rs 8,000 to 10,000. For a small farmer with up to 5 acres, the cost rises to Rs 16,000 to 17,000 if they intend to sow wheat immediately after harvesting paddy. For those growing vegetables or potatoes, the cost may still be Rs 5,000 to 6,000 per acre.

For marginal, small, and semi-medium farmers, who make up the majority of cultivators in Punjab, even these figures are financially burdensome. When push comes to shove, they opt for the “zero-cost” alternative: setting the fields on fire.

An expert from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana said this is why farmers continue to demand direct financial aid of Rs 2,000 to 3,000 per acre to manage stubble properly. They argue that if the government expects them not to burn their fields, it should help them bear the cost.

This demand is gaining urgency amid rising input costs, market volatility, and shrinking profit margins. Many farmers feel that machines alone are not a solution; money is needed to operate them.

Another critical issue is the misalignment between available machines and actual needs. Although the number of machines is impressive, their distribution and types may not always match the requirements on the ground. Many CRM machines require heavy-duty tractors, which not all farmers own or can afford to hire. Furthermore, not all regions have equal access to CRM machines or CHCs, resulting in localised shortages. During peak harvesting time, even the availability of trained operators becomes a bottleneck. One official from the agriculture department, who also owns farmland in Kapurthala, stated that his village’s cooperative society has all the machines but refuses to rent them out due to the unavailability of drivers.

Even though around 10,500 officials have been deployed in the field to coordinate efforts, practical utility suffers due to logistical challenges, lack of timely coordination, and awareness gaps. Enforcement alone has limited success.

Government officials acknowledge the challenges. They are aware of 663 hotspots across seven districts where most fires are reported. Of the over 20 million tonnes of paddy stubble generated, officials believe they need to focus on managing 6 to 7 million tonnes actively. The remaining 13 to 14 million tonnes are reportedly being handled through ex-situ (industrial use) and in-situ (soil incorporation) methods.

A senior officer summed up the issue by stating that the challenge isn’t purely technological or administrative — it is deeply economic, social, and behavioural. He said 100 per cent utilisation of machines will only be possible if every farmer genuinely wants to manage his stubble responsibly.

This was echoed by Jagdish Singh, Joint Director of the Punjab Agriculture Department and nodal officer for CRM machines, who told The Indian Express that logic fails when farmers remain unconvinced. Despite the long-term benefits of stubble management—like protecting soil health and reducing the need for chemical fertilisers—many farmers continue to choose the destructive route.

Until the state can match technology with affordability and enforcement with incentives, farm fires will likely continue, machines or not, said Sujit Raghunathrao Jagadale, Professor of Rural Marketing at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Amritsar, who has conducted a study on stubble burning in Punjab, added that a cash incentive per acre post-harvest could motivate farmers to switch to sustainable practices. He further said that the solution isn’t just about machine subsidies but must also include support for fuel and tractor rentals, ensuring that CHCs and cooperatives provide timely and affordable services to smallholders. Encouraging farmer-to-farmer learning from progressive CRM users and promoting lighter, more affordable machines compatible with low-horsepower tractors are also necessary steps.

Until then, the smoke rising from Punjab’s fields is not just the result of stubble burning—it remains a cry for economic help, still unanswered, stressed IIM professor Jagadale.

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