Stubble burning: Farms burn as Punjab farmers junk machines bought to manage crop residue

Jagjit Singh, another farmer from Sangrur who owned two combine harvesters, had Super SMS attachments mandated by the government in the beginning of the scheme in 2018-19. These attachments were meant to be used when harvesting paddy. However, due to high diesel consumption and increased operational costs, many farmers, including Jagjit, left their Super SMS units unused or underutilised.

The Happy Seeder and Super SMS were pivotal machines when the CRM scheme was introduced in Punjab in 2018-19 to curb paddy stubble burning. The government distributed 13,664 Happy Seeders in the past five years. Around 93% Happy seeders were given in the first two years of the scheme and 6,142 Super SMS machines, including 70% in the first two years, offering subsidies of 50% and 80% to a farmer and a group of farmers or company, respectively.

Over Rs 300 crore was spent on these machines by the government and the farmers. However, currently, nearly 90% of these machines are gathering dust.

The Happy Seeder is designed for wheat sowing, combining stubble mulching, sowing wheat seeds, and fertilizer drilling into one machine. It eliminates the need to burn crop residue, promoting a more eco-friendly approach. The Super SMS is an attachment for combine harvesters, assisting in stubble chopping and even distribution in the field. However, due to the additional costs and inefficient operation, these machines are increasingly being abandoned.

Harnam Singh of Kapurthala said that he purchased the happy seeder machine and was initially very happy but the next year, Super Seeder was introduced, followed by Smart Seeder. “Both these machines also ensure that there is no need to clear stubble from the fields even after harvesting and wheat can be sown. Super Seeder is for sowing wheat seed and simultaneous tillage. It also incorporates whole straw in combined harvested paddy fields. The Smart Seeder is used for sowing wheat seed and simultaneous light tillage of selected row area only in combined harvested paddy. Both these machines are more advanced then Happy seeder as these incorporate the stubble in the soil at the time of wheat sowing,” he said, adding that now he owns a Super seeder and a Happy seeder but hardly uses the happy seeder anymore.

Farmers said that the Super SMS increases diesel costs and operational time and it is more cost-effective to harvest without these attachment. While Super SMS assists in stubble management, it is not always practical, particularly when almost all combine harvesters don’t have it.

A senior officer in the Punjab Agriculture Department said that there are over 15,000 combine harvesters in the state while the number of Super SMS is just 6,142. “This shows that a super SMS attachment is not compulsory with every combine harvester. Also, most farmers who have it are also not using it as 99% farmers do not want to use these in their fields because it increases the cost by Rs 500 per acre,” the officer said.

Gurdaspur-based farmer Satnam Singh, who has several CRM machines, said that he has a super SMS with his combine harvester that he uses on his fields. “However, the farmers who hired my combine harvester for harvesting put a condition that do not attach super SMS at the time of harvesting as it takes 30-40 minutes more to complete the harvesting in one acre. It also becomes more costly and consumes around Rs 600 worth more diesel. But farmers must realise that it does cut the 3/4th stubble at the time of harvesting and also spread them in even form in the fields,” he said, adding that in his area, 99% of the combine harvester owners with Super SMS are not even using these on their own fields.

He added that the government must make a policy for whose who have taken CRM machines on subsidy and confiscate the subsidy with a rate of interest if they don’t use the machines even on their fields. While the cost of a super seeders is Rs 2.50 lakh, a smart seeder costs around Rs 2.25 lakh and a Happy Seeder comes for Rs 1.50 lakh and Super SMS is for Rs 1 lakh. The number of super seeders, which was introduced in 2019-2020 is 44,246, and this season 6,000 more super seeders are being added. The number of smart seeders, which was introduced last year, was 10 and this year 1500 smart seeders are being added.

According to the Punjab Agriculture department, as of 2021-23, only 124 Happy Seeders and 170 Super SMS were distributed under the CRM scheme against 9,552 Happy Seeders and 3,628 Super SMS in the beginning of the scheme in 2018-19. Since these two machines are less sought after now, the government decreased the distribution of these by a large number.

Punjab had 1,17,672 CRM machines in the last season, including 44,146 Super Seeders and 13,664 Happy Seeders. Additionally, there were approximately 59,000 other CRM machines used for various agricultural processes. With over 20,000 more CRM machines set to be added this year, the challenges of technology adoption and sustainability continue to be a concern for farmers in Punjab.