Crop residue burning has been a serious issue that releases
approximately 149.24 million tonnes of CO2, over 9 million tonnes of carbon
monoxide (CO), 0.25 million tonnes of Sulphur oxides (SOX), 1.28 million tonnes
of particulate matter, and 0.07 million tonnes of black carbon. It is directly
responsible for pollution in the environment, as well as the yearly haze in
Delhi during the October-November period.
Substantial investments in agricultural residue management
equipment and farmer subsidies over the past four years under the supervision
of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court of India have helped
the government control the issue considerably.
Happy Seeders, Super Seeders, Mulchers, and Ploughs have all
grown popular in recent years for direct planting and integrating crop residue
into the soil. However, the method of collecting agricultural stubble in the shape
of Rectangular or Round Bales using tractor-operated rakes and balers is the
most frequent and prevalent due to numerous additional uses, particularly as
boiler fuel to create electricity.
Now for the past two months, bale owners have been
requesting an increase in bale supply prices from Biomass facilities as their
production cost has risen significantly due to the rapid increase in fuel
prices.
There is an ongoing deadlock between the Baler Owner
Association and the Biomass Plant Owners in spite of several rounds of
discussions. As a result of the prolonged deadlock, many farmers who wish to
acquire these balers under the government's subsidy program will be left with
no choice but to burn the crop residue owing to a lack of intercropping time.
Baling is likely to be adversely impacted this
year unless the government and agriculture ministries of Haryana and Punjab
intervene immediately to settle the issue. Failure to do so will not only have
a negative influence on this year's baling but also on all other past
government measures and investments made to safeguard the environment.
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