Unnao, Uttar Pradesh
At a time when the national capital region of Delhi, and its neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are struggling with high air pollution levels due to a variety of factors, including stubble burning, Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh is trying to work a way around the problem, with all stakeholders in the issue benefitting. On the morning of November 16, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi, which is about 530 kilometres from Unnao, hovered at 490, considered severe.
Since stubble burning and the resultant air pollution affects Uttar Pradesh too, on November 7 this year, the local administration of Unnao district, about 65 kilometres from state capital Lucknow, launched the “Parali do Khaad Lo” initiative. Under this, farmers who have stubble can exchange it for manure. For every two trolleys of stubble, they are given a trolley of manure from goshalas (cow shelters) for stray cattle.
The scheme was launched from the permanent cow shelter ‘Adarsh Gaushala’ at Thana village of Sarosi block in Unnao. Farmers Krishna Mohan, Chhanga, Kamal Kishore, Amarendra Kumar and Samarendra Singh were each provided manure in exchange for two trolleys of crop residue.
Unnao district magistrate Ravindra Kumar told Gaon Connection that the scheme had three benefits — it would reduce pollution, address fodder shortage at goshalas, and help farmers by increasing soil fertility and, therefore, yield.
Earlier, on October 28 this year, the central government brought in an ordinance setting up a commission to address air pollution in Delhi and its neighbouring states. The Air Quality Management Ordinance, 2020 signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, entails a jail sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs one crore or both, for those found guilty of causing pollution in Delhi and adjoining states. The law incriminates stubble burning, amongst other polluting activities.
So far, over 1,100 FIRs were lodged against 2,000 farmers in Uttar Pradesh for stubble burning, news reports said. As many as 144 FIRs were filed in just 24 hours in the first week of November, it added.
In such a scenario, this new scheme in Unnao, a district that falls between Lucknow and Kanpur, has found favour with farmers as well as the government. The exchange of stubble for manure will not just help with fodder availability; it can also be used to keep stray animals warm in the cold winters.
“So far, three hundred and fifty four metric tonnes of stubble from two hundred and seventy five farmers have found their way to the goshalas. Our target is to provide at least 100 tonnes of crop residue to goshalas in every block within the coming fortnight,” PK Singh, chief veterinary officer of Unnao told Gaon Connection. So far, the scheme has been launched in 22 goshalas. There are more than 150 goshalas in Unnao, and this scheme will be implemented in those housing more than 25 cattle, Singh added.
These ghosalas were set up in 2019 in urban and rural areas to tackle the menace of stray cows. Panchayats and the veterinary, revenue and agriculture departments together rescue and maintain cattle in these goshalas. Each animal here gets Rs 30 a day for its upkeep. Veterinary experts said manure for crop residue is a viable option, for this can be implemented widely.
Singh said a trolley of dung manure costs about Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,800 in the open market. “Once the farmer starts receiving this compost, his expenditure on DAP [Diammonium Phosphate, one of the world’s most widely-used phosphorus fertiliser] and urea will drastically reduce, and he will move towards organic farming,” he explained.
Besides this, kisan seminars are being organised, where farmers are advised not to burn crop residue and are informed about the scheme, Nand Kishore, deputy director (agriculture), Unnao, told Gaon Connection.
With increasing mechanisation in fields and the increase in paddy acreage, most big farmers harvest paddy with the help of the combine harvester, which leaves behind the stubble that they later burn. Now, they have to seek alternative methods of crop residue disposal, which will work out to be as cost effective as stubble burning.
Rajinder Singh, a farmer from Paliya tehsil in Lakhimpur district, said that even farmers don’t really want to burn stubble, but were helpless because they had to sow a new crop after the harvest of paddy. “Earlier, when we used to burn the stubble, fields used to be ready for sowing after two or three rounds of ploughing. Now, since we cannot burn stubble, we need five or six rounds of ploughing before sowing. The diesel and labour cost renders stubble management expensive,” he told Gaon Connection.
Under the central government’s scheme for crop residue management, farm machinery up to Rs 15 lakh is provided on an 80 per cent grant to farmer groups under the In-Situ Crop Residue Management scheme in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In-situ means, ‘in the original place’. Under this, farmers have been given agricultural equipment at 40 per cent concession under the individual custom hiring scheme, besides group schemes. Farmers availing of these two schemes have to plough and harvest the fields of their neighbouring farmers for a nominal charge.
Meanwhile, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the largest government institution for agricultural research in India, has developed a waste decomposer for disposal of crop residue. Scientists have prepared decomposer capsules that decompose the stubble in the field. According to an India Today report, a packet costing Rs 20 contains four capsules, and they make 25 litres of slurry.
This is enough for 2.5 acres (1.01 hectares) of farmland. Although the mixing of crop residue in the field contributes to the fertility of the land, farmers complain they lack the time and technology to be able to decompose the crop residue in the field. This is one reason why the ‘manure for stubble’ scheme is being seen as a sound option for stubble disposal.