The district administration in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh has come up with an innovative idea to reduce the problem of stubble burning in the state. On 7th November, it has started procuring stubble from the farmers to be used in cow shelters as fodder. For two trolleys of stubble, the farmer will get one trolley of cow dung. So far, the district administration has procured 800 quintals of stubble.
UP Govt has started procuring stubble from farmers. Nearly 5000 quintals of stubble procured by Govt this year for cattle fodder — farmers are given cow dung in return. Seems an innovative solution to stubble fires & pollution pic.twitter.com/1lcT09yvtf
— Aman Sharma (@AmanKayamHai_ET) November 9, 2020
The initiative ‘Parali Do, Khaad Lo’ was inaugurated by the administration on 7th November by DD Agriculture Nand Kishore and Veterinary Officer PK Singh. Kishore called it a commendable initiative. It will save farmers from any legal action and help the administration impose the regulations set by National Green Tribunal.
पराली दो खाद लो अच्छी पहल है उन्नाव मे। pic.twitter.com/n3oVnuD0an
— awaaj unnao (@AwaajUnnao) November 7, 2020
Unnao DM Ravindra Kumar has stated to Aaj Tak that the district has 125 Gaushalas in total. Out of this, 28 are quite large and these Gaushalas produce ample amounts of cow dung manure. Farmers are offered to take 1 trolly of cow dung manure in exchange of 2 trollies of stubble. The stubble will be turned into fodder and the manure will help the farmers to enrich their soil. Kumar has stated that so far, over 100 farmers in the district have brought their stubble and taken manure in exchange.
Technical Institutions providing support to farmers
Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology is one of the institutions helping farmers in stubble management. They provide support to increase modern machinery use, including modern reversible moldboard plow, cutter less spread, arc less mulch, happy seeder, super seeder, etc. among farmers. The method university promotes does not require stubble to be removed from the farms, and sowing can be done without plowing for adding fertilizers. In this method, stubble gets decomposed in the farm itself and acts as a fertilizer.
Stubble burning causes severe damage to soil and the environment
As per the experts, stubble burning causes air pollution and reduces the fertility of the soil. It increases the ground’s temperature and kills friendly insects and microbes that are essential for good plant growth. As a result, the farmer has to use more chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, etc. that further affects soil quality.
240% increase of stubble burning incidents in Punjab
Congress’s Amrinder Singh-led Punjab government has miserably failed in controlling stubble burning. As a result, the incidents of stubble burning have increased by 240% this year compared to last year. On the other hand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have seen a decline of more than 30% this year.
