Despite some successful initiatives, stubble burning continues to be a major problem in rural India
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The unconventional practice of stubble burning continues despite repeated calls from environmental scientists for its cessation. Within just two months from 15 September to 15 November, 23,505 cases of farm fires were recorded in six states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
The winter harvest season in November and December is one of the major contributors to air pollution. For reasons such as failed crop output, time and money constraints, and low market prices, farmers set fire to their crops to quickly clear their fields. In cold weather and low wind conditions, a meteorological phenomenon known as temperature inversion makes it difficult for pollutants to disperse and rise, resulting in thick smog. The toxic fumes from the agricultural fields when combined with already high carbon emissions in the city exacerbate air pollution in the national capital, Delhi, thereby causing adverse impacts on health and huge economic losses.
In cold weather and low wind conditions, a meteorological phenomenon known as temperature inversion makes it difficult for pollutants to disperse and rise, resulting in thick smog.
The Indian government claims that a cumulative amount of INR 3,333.17 crores has been allocated since 2018 through the Crop Residue Management programme, with Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh receiving INR 1,531, INR 1,006, and INR 500 crores respectively. These funds are meant to subsidise sustainable farm equipment, build bio-energy infrastructure, and monitor air quality systems, thus incentivising alternative farm practices and conducting research and awareness programmes.
As multiple records suggest, these funds remain inadequate and could have arguably been better utilised. Firstly, the state government has constantly demanded to put more money into the crop residue programme, including the recent INR 1,200 crore plea by the Punjab government that the centre rejected. Secondly, almost INR 1,151.80 crores have been allocated only for field-based residue machine schemes, while other essential schemes like crop diversification remain underfunded.
India's legislation such as the Air (Prevention and Control Pollution) Act (1981) explicitly states that burning any pollution-causing material except fuel is forbidden. The Supreme Court reiterated that stubble burning constitutes a violation of citizens' fundamental right to live in a pollution-free environment.
While the laws are clear, political dispensation, not only at the centre but also in states, is a little lenient towards farmers, hesitant to take tough measures to ensure full adherence. Both the federal governments of Punjab and Haryana were slammed by the Supreme Court for not taking enough actions against stubble burning this year. In the wake of the mass farmers’ protest in 2021, the Indian government also acceded to the demand to decriminalise stubble burning.
Both the federal governments of Punjab and Haryana were slammed by the Supreme Court for not taking enough actions against stubble burning this year.
Enforcement has always been a major challenge despite existing regulatory schemes such as the National Green Tribunal, under which burning stubble is a banned offence with fines ranging from INR 2,500 to INR 30,000. Authorities face difficulties in penalty collection, and their visits to the farms yield little to no results. The environmentally harmful variety of rice PUSA 44 was banned, but it is still grown on a massive scale.
Paddy farming, whose production soared due to many policies, including subsidised fertilisers, a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP), and free electricity, is responsible both for a significant amount of crop residue and groundwater scarcity. In India, paddy farming constitutes 41 percent of total grain food production.
A water conservation legislation called the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009, enacted in Haryana and Punjab, has also contributed to incidents of stubble burning. Under this act, paddy sowing can only be carried out in monsoon months as water-intensive crops such as rice refrain from sucking groundwater during this period. Paddy harvesting then takes place in early November, leaving only 10 days for farmers to prepare their fields for the next crop. Fearing that lateness in the next crop cycle can decrease output, farmers hurriedly set fire to the residue from the previous crop harvest. The recommendation by the Standing Committee on water resources includes revisiting the law and enacting restrictions in water-scarce regions rather than imposing a blanket ban on the entire state.
There are 150,000 machines available for crop residue management (CRM), out of which nearly 500,000 machines either need maintenance or have outlived their utility. A report says that at least 50 percent of those who adopt CRM eventually resort to burning stubble. One of the challenges faced by farmers who use CRM, such as happy seeder and supper seeder, is that both require an expensive 60 horsepower (HP) tractor to run, which stands useless much of the time. Even on rent, it typically costs a farmer INR 10,000. Moreover, hiring a stubble removal machine for a four-acre farm requires a waiting time of nearly two weeks.
The central government must develop and maintain a multi-crop infrastructure. Right now, it largely procures paddy crops as a part of its food security scheme and puts them under the safety net of a minimum support price. Meanwhile, non-paddy crops are excluded from the central government's price guarantee, therefore attracting meagre attention from farmers. A greater number of crops should be procured under the safety net of the MSP. Farmers’ organisations demanded 23 crops to be included in the government-sponsored floor price, though a feasible plan is yet to be worked out. Had crop diversification been given preference in fund allocation over current subsidies on crop residue equipment, it would have been far more effective according to experts
Farmers’ organisations demanded 23 crops to be included in the government-sponsored floor price, though a feasible plan is yet to be worked out.
States need to replicate the Haryana Model, where over 30,000 farmers have pledged to grow non-paddy crops and adopt direct seed technology. In exchange, the government is giving out compensations for sustainable practices, and establishing industries in rural areas to ease logistical challenges.
Besides this, a change in dietary preferences can also accelerate crop diversification, and consequently eliminate paddy farming, the biggest contributor to stubble burning. India’s population requires vegetables and fruits in their diets, alongside wheat and rice, because vegetables and fruits are naturally low residue crops.
Waste-to-wealth solutions, if conducted on a larger scale, offer a tremendous opportunity to transform India into a sustainable agriculture economy. The Indian government, for instance, has started several initiatives to produce bio-energy out of crop residue, including the setting up of bio-ethanol plants in Haryana and Punjab. However, there needs to be a clear-cut strategy to overcome several hurdles. The biggest ethanol plant in Punjab has already been delayed twice, while another ethanol plant in Punjab has been called off following a community protest over alleged environmental violations. Although the central government has sought to establish several bio-ethanol plants, the weak coordination between state and centre makes it difficult. The NITI Aayog report estimates that India's ethanol requirement has to be 10.16 billion litres to reach its ambitious target of 20 percent ethanol blending by 2025.
The Indian government, for instance, has started several initiatives to produce bio-energy out of crop residue, including the setting up of bio-ethanol plants in Haryana and Punjab.
A study confirms that India can produce as much as 48.35 gigawatts (GW) annually from crop residue. Since crop leftovers could also be used as animal fodder, effective planning is required to strengthen market linkages and make crop residue edible. India, which is already facing 35.6 percent, 10.95 percent and 44 percent shortages in dry fodder, green fodder and feed materials respectively, will witness a massive demand for feedstuff.
The use of digital platforms can enable farmers and bio-collection companies to hire service machines and monitor real-time information on feed collection. Initiated by the Haryana government and Deloitte, a multi-local language-enabled app, Krishi Yantra, has successfully reduced the number of incidents of stubble burning in two cities.
Remote sensing technology could be improved as there is a difference between the actual farm fires and figures published in government reports. Media reports suggest that farmers found that burning stubble in the evening and in cloudy weather would evade the eyes of monitoring agencies. When it comes to the Air Quality Index (AQI), the mismatch between the Indian count and that of global agencies calls for an urgent need to fix systematic and functionality issues.
Farmers complain that the PR 126 variety, which has been suggested as a better alternative to PUSA 44, has low yields and crop defects such as broken grains. It is thus imperative to improve quality using scientific technologies such as genome editing.
Studies reveal that the drawbacks of a smog tower and cloud seeding outnumber the benefits, given that they are expensive to carry out. Thus, there is an urgent need for innovation to make them cost-effective. Although the Delhi government sought to conduct artificial rain to curb the capital's rising pollution, it was denied permission by the central government.
Remote sensing technology could be improved as there is a difference between the actual farm fires and figures published in government reports.
With more frequent dialogue between the federal government and farmers, stubble burning could be minimised. Civil society can also help the farming community understand that stubble burning not only afflicts the environment but also reduces agricultural production in the long term. In a survey conducted in rural India involving 20,000 households, 44 percent of the people believe that stubble burning does not contribute to air pollution, which indicates that there is still a long way to go to make rural India fully aware of the grave consequences posed by stubble burning.
The government can allocate more funds, and carry out a cost-efficient analysis of the CRM scheme to ensure maximum utilisation. Laws such as the Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009 and welfare schemes such as the MSP crop list need to be reviewed. Establishing a bioenergy industry at a greater scale would be a win-win situation in an energy-hungry India. There will be new opportunities for fuel generation while the cases of stubble burning can be reduced. The government must speed up its program for crop diversification, incorporate digital solutions into agriculture and invest in R&D to ensure that environment-friendly crops can be grown. In the end, an exchange of ideas between policymakers and agriculturists will certainly help farmers make use of crop residue.
Sadan Khan is a Research Intern at the Observer Research Foundation
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