Help farmers tackle paddy stubble, says Kiran Choudhry

CHANDIGARH: Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry on Monday asked the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana to stop penalising farmers for burning paddy stubble and instead help them find a way out of it.
The former Haryana minister demanded that the state government provide farmers easy loans for purchase or hiring of machines that cut paddy stubble and sow wheat seeds simultaneously."Use of such machines will not only obviate need for burning crop residue causing pollution, but also offer fodder for livestock. Chopped stubble gets deposited on top of such machines as mulch," she said.
Choudhry said as an alternative, farmers should be subsidised for getting paddy stubble cut and removed from fields by mills, which use it as raw material. "Besides, steps should be taken to encourage and incentivise farmers to take up zero-till farming, which facilitates sowing of wheat without removing the stubble. A sustained campaign should be launched to promote this concept and make the farmers wise on its advantages," she said.
The Ambala district authorities have imposed a fine on four farmers of villages of Naraingarh block for burning paddy stubble. Two farmers were levied a fine of Rs 2,500 each and two others paid Rs 5,000 each. They belonged to Panjlasa, Miyanpur and Baragarh villages.