The Punjab Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Department has sanctioned 31,970 machinery and equipment under the crop residue management scheme to individual farmers, Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), panchayats, and customer-hiring centres (CHCs) ahead of the paddy harvesting season.
To combat the threat of stubble burning, Agriculture Director Sukhdev Singh Sidhu said the department has already approved 10,297 applications from PACS, panchayats, and CHCs registered under farmers' organizations and individual farmers.
For the purchase of paddy straw management machinery and equipment, the department has imposed sanctions in five phases. Individual farmers received 10,023 machines, CHCs 15,498 machines, panchayats 5,543 machines, and PACS 906 machines on a 50 percent to 80 percent subsidy.
“The department is prepared to deliver these implements far ahead of the paddy harvesting season,” he added, urging all sanctioned applicants to obtain the equipment as soon as possible.
In the past three years, 76,626 paddy straw management equipments were supplied to farmers on a subsidized basis, he added. The districts of Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Tarn Taran, Moga, and Mansa have been designated as hotspots, where the majority of paddy stubble burning instances have been reported.
The state government focused on delivering state-of-the-art machines to farmers under the CRM scheme, such as the Super SMS, super seeder, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, shredder, mulcher, hydraulic reversible mould board plough, and Zero Till Drill for in-situ management and baler and rake for ex-situ machines.
Objectives of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department:
• To bridge the knowledge gap between farmers and experts by disseminating the latest Crop production technology.
• Increase crop production and productivity in a sustainable manner, ensuring food security and a higher level of income for farmers.
• Encourage the practice of conservation agriculture.
• Encourage the use of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques (IPM).
• Horticulture and other high-value crops diversification
