The issue of stubble burning and ways to tackle the same was the focus of the “Kisan Goshthee” on paddy straw management, held during the ongoing four-day CII Agro Tech India 2018 here on Sunday.
Farmers from various districts, experts from the industry and government officials discussed the issues and solutions to the problem of straw management, under one roof. The Kisan Goshthee provided a common platform to the farmers to bring forth their views and insights into this problem which has risen to a magnanimous scale.
The discussion was undertaken by a panel of experts that comprised – Baldev Singh, Managing Director Amar Agricultural Machinery Group; Harminder S Sidhu, a progressive farmer; Manmohan Kalia, Joint Director Agri-engineering, Punjab; Vikram Ahuja, owner Zamindara Farmsolutions Pvt. Ltd., and Arshdeep Singh from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
Talking about the subsidies given by the Punjab State Government on purchase of machinery to cut the straw and manage it, Manmohan Kalia, emphasized working in groups of 8-10 farmers was beneficial. “The farmers should use machines like happy seeder, combine with super SMS, ploughers, bailers etc to manage straw and mix it in the fields,” he suggested.
Farmers present from various districts of Sangrur, Mohali, Ludhiana, Patiala etc, said that they should not be pressurized to adopt only one method for handling the crop residue. “First of all various options should be made available to us and then we should be given the authority to decide which method to go for. Also, human efforts should be recognized and not only machine use should be promoted,” said Tejinder Singh, a farmer from Mohali.
Other farmers raised their concerns about the machinery provided of not being at par with international standards, costs going up on using additional tools, lack of information on decomposing the stubble, and information on schemes not reaching them.
Vikram Ahuja brought forth the point of rising prices of machinery as and when the subsidy is announced. “The farmers should be made aware of the solutions available for straw management and given some time to handle the issue over the next 3-4 years,” said he.
Arshdeep Singh, from PAU, discussed various in-house means on how to tackle the straw and mix it into the fields.
Baldev Singh and Harminder S Sidhu, also addressed the issues of the farmers and suggested formation of groups and availing schemes such as renting out equipments.
Innovative offerings lure farmers
The Innovators’ Pavilion at the CII Agro Tech was thronged by farmers on the second day. With multifarious companies, both domestic and international, bringing along a variety of technological advancements, the farmers seemed much inquisitive about their benefits and how to deploy such solutions. Electrostatic sprayer, Artificial Intelligence, E-apps, Drones, Rain gauge, Android App, farm-management products, weather management services, among other things were showcased.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, has put up on display many products, one of which was -‘Smart integrated irrigation and energy management system’, which helps convert extra power from solar to AC through an inverter and the farmer can save up to 7,560 units of power per year, and earn a good amount of money, if he decides to sell this power.
