Punjab Agriculture Department Plans to Use Drones to Combat Stubble Burning

During the paddy harvest, at least 120 million tonnes of straw are set on fire in Punjab to prepare the fields for the following crop, resulting in a heavy blanket of pollution up to Delhi in October and November.

The state department has requested 53 crores in grants under the Centre's contribution to agricultural mechanization, according to the proposal made to the Union agriculture and farmers' welfare ministry (SMAM).

According to a senior agricultural department official, the money would be used in part to purchase at least 70 multifunctional drones, which will aid in spraying agrochemicals over pest-infested crops and boosting research efforts.

The drones would also be provided at a 50% discount to custom recruiting centers, as well as to the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana and the state agriculture directorate. 

"Farm fires are just not stopping, especially during paddy season," stated the official. "71,246 agricultural fires were documented during the last rice harvest season (of 2021), down from 76,590 in 2020 but still much higher than the 52,991 occurrences registered in 2019."

Paddy is sown over 29-31 lakh hectares in Punjab, with an average yield of 180 lakh tonnes every Kharif season. Paddy stubble, unlike wheat straw, cannot be utilized as animal feed due to its high silica concentration. Farmers choose to burn it to prepare the field for the approaching rabi (wheat) crop planting.

Despite the Centre giving cash to the tune of 1,145 crores for subsidized agricultural machinery and equipment for in-situ management (mixing straw in the soil) of crops left over during the paddy season, the problem remains persistent. The state government has requested 474 crores for the forthcoming season to deliver this subsidized equipment.