Punjab and Haryana have witnessed a remarkable decline in stubble-burning incidents. According to figures attributed to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), stubble-burning incidents declined by 95 per cent in Punjab and 98 per cent in Haryana between 2020 and 2026. Between September 15 and November 3, 2026, Punjab recorded 2,196 farm-fire incidents compared with 43,994 during the corresponding period in 2020. The report also states that Punjab managed approximately 11.4 million tonnes of paddy straw in fields.These figures raise an important question: if farm mechanisation, scientific interventions and farmer participation can bring such a significant reduction in stubble burning, why can’t governments invest more systematically in creating resources for farmers? Instead of repeatedly blaming farmers, governments should focus on providing affordable machinery, financial assistance, transportation facilities and practical alternatives to manage agricultural residue.
Farmers are already struggling with rising cultivation costs, expensive diesel, fertilisers, pesticides, labour shortages and uncertain agricultural returns. After harvesting paddy, they have a very limited period to prepare their fields for wheat sowing. If machinery is unavailable or the cost of removing straw is too high, farmers face the difficult choice between delaying the next crop and finding an affordable way to clear their fields. Under these circumstances, simply issuing warnings and imposing penalties cannot provide a permanent solution.
The Central Government has introduced the Crop Residue Management Scheme, which provides subsidies of up to 50 per cent to individual farmers for machinery and up to 80 per cent for Custom Hiring Centres established by eligible cooperative societies, farmer groups and other institutions. The Punjab Government has also announced a Rs 576-crore crop residue management action plan for 2026–27. However, announcing financial assistance and ensuring that every farmer actually receives the benefit are two different matters. The government must examine whether small and marginal farmers have equal access to these facilities.
The Punjab Government should establish machinery banks and cooperative agricultural service centres in villages so that farmers can obtain equipment such as Happy Seeders, Super Seeders, balers and other residue-management machinery at affordable rental rates. These centres should also provide trained operators, fuel, maintenance and repair facilities. Small farmers should not be forced to purchase expensive machinery individually when the government can establish a shared village-level system.
Another important solution is to transform paddy straw from agricultural waste into an economic resource. Biomass power plants, compressed biogas units, biofuel industries, paper manufacturers and packaging companies can use agricultural residue as raw material. The government should encourage industries to invest in Punjab, establish collection and storage centres near farming villages and develop an efficient transportation network to supply these industries.
Most importantly, farmers must receive a fair price for the straw collected from their fields. If industries can generate electricity, gas and other commercial products from paddy straw, the farmers who produce this valuable raw material should also receive a reasonable financial return. The government should introduce reliable procurement arrangements and explore guaranteed pricing mechanisms so that farmers have a genuine economic incentive to avoid burning residue.
The government should also provide direct financial incentives to farmers who manage crop residue through scientific methods without burning it. Small and marginal farmers should receive free or highly subsidised machinery services. Agricultural universities and research institutions should be encouraged to develop affordable technologies that are practical for ordinary farmers rather than concentrating only on expensive equipment that many farmers cannot afford.
The responsibility for addressing this problem cannot rest entirely with the Punjab Government. The Central Government must also provide long-term financial and technical assistance because agricultural policies, crop procurement and environmental challenges affect the entire region. Better coordination between the Centre and Punjab is essential to develop a permanent crop-residue management system.
The decline in stubble-burning incidents demonstrates that farmers are willing to participate in environmental protection when they receive machinery, scientific guidance and institutional support. However, the ultimate objective should not simply be to reduce the number of farm fires every year. The real objective should be to establish a permanent system in which farmers no longer need to burn paddy straw because affordable and economically beneficial alternatives are readily available.
An important question must therefore be asked: why should farmers carry the financial burden of managing agricultural waste when governments, industries and research institutions can work together to turn that waste into an economic resource? Punjab’s farmers contribute enormously to the country’s food security. They deserve more than government instructions, warnings, penalties and occasional announcements. They deserve modern infrastructure, affordable technology, fair prices and meaningful financial assistance.
Environmental pollution cannot be examined only through the activities of farmers. There are several other sources of pollution that also deserve serious attention from governments and environmental authorities. Large public celebrations, firecrackers, industrial emissions, construction dust, vehicle pollution and waste burning all contribute to environmental degradation. During Diwali, the widespread use of firecrackers can cause a significant deterioration in air quality. Similarly, fireworks and other activities associated with Dussehra celebrations can also contribute to pollution. These activities should be examined through scientific air-quality monitoring rather than ignored in public discussions about pollution.
The question is why farmers and agricultural activities receive so much attention whenever air pollution becomes a major issue, while other sources of pollution do not always receive the same level of public scrutiny. Environmental protection should not become a selective exercise in which one section of society is repeatedly questioned while other contributors escape meaningful accountability. Governments must apply the same environmental standards to everyone, irrespective of occupation, religion, community or economic influence. If farmers are expected to change their agricultural practices to protect the environment, industries, event organisers, municipal authorities and citizens must also accept their share of responsibility. Clean air is everyone’s right, and protecting it must be everyone’s responsibility.
Clean air is not the responsibility of farmers alone. It is a shared responsibility of the Central Government, Punjab Government, agricultural institutions and industries. The real success will come when farmers can earn additional income from paddy straw instead of spending their hard-earned money to dispose of it.
Sources: The Tribune report quoting ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute data; Government of India’s Crop Residue Management Scheme; Punjab Government’s 2026–27 crop residue management action plan.