Haryana farmers reduce stubble-burning, claims government

Farmers in Punjab continue to burn stubble while the Haryana government claims that stubble-burning has gone down in 2018. 

Stuble-burning has been an environmental issue as farmers from Punjab and Haryana burns stubble which leads to pollution in north India, particularly in Delhi.

This season, farmers in Punjab still continue to burn the stubble.

Farmers, stating their plight, had earlier mentioned that they don't have enough financial help to afford machinery for stubble-burning. 

However, incidents of stubble-burning in Haryana have reduced in 2018, a spokesman of the Haryana government claimed here on Thursday.

"99 out of 100 farmers in Haryana have not burnt paddy stubble during the current harvesting season," the spokesman said.

"Farmers of Haryana have displayed a high level of responsibility and awareness about protecting the environment. The total number of paddy growing farmers in Haryana is seven lakh," he said. Paddy was sown on 13 lakh hectares in Haryana this Kharif season.

"Till now harvesting had taken place on 10 lakh hectares. Burning of paddy stubble had been reported only on 6,200 hectares till date. This is only 0.6 per cent of the total area on which harvesting has taken place," the spokesman pointed out.

He said that this had been possible because of the massive campaign undertaken by the Haryana government and the Centre to create awareness among farmers and also the provision of subsidy for setting up Custom Hiring Centres and purchase of individual agriculture implements.

(With IANS Inputs)