Bureaucrats are often accused of formulating policies for people and the country sitting in the cozy comfort of their AC rooms completely bereft of ground realities. They are even accused of failing to understand the real problems that common people face for having a disconnect with the very essence of the problem.

But lots of officers have expressed their opinion and wrote about solutions to policy related issues and the recent being stubble burning that choked the entire NCR last fortnight turning it into a gas chamber. Actually making sweeping comment on bureaucrats is fashionable but reality is most of them had hands on experience not only on agriculture but also on environment and many more.

Former UP cadre IAS officer (1982 batch) Pravir Kumar has come out with some simple solutions to the problem of stubble burning. Once sickle was discontinued by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Western UP replacing with mechanized farming the issue of stubble burning started. Combined harvesters the machine used for harvesting could be modified which at present leaves crop residue little longer that farmers are forced to burn as they don’t get disposed otherwise. Modification in machine is easily possible as lots of such machines are already in the market. These residues could be used for paper board and many other industries. The government initiative can make these agriculture residues into wealth.

Moreover, if paddy procurement is done why stubble procurement can’t be done and sold to industries that need it. The government may provide incentive where it is required as blaming farmer is unjust who are not criminal but victims of machine made available to them.

Argument that Punjab has made a law on sowing timing of crops but burning stubble anytime is not a solution whether in September, October or November. They are precious biomass that must be procured not burnt. Western UP faces fodder crisis due to the same machine actually that needs to be corrected. Instead of making norms for farmers they should be made for machine as if the government can comply Bharat VI in India this can also be done.

Civil servants like Arabinda Kumar Pandhee (IAS:1996:OR), the first Agriculture graduate of Odisha to make it to the IAS, and M L Jat too have expressed their view that happy seeder machine sows wheat seeds without removing paddy straw and remains act as mulch, conserving soil moisture and improving soil health. It may be underlined that Padhee is the first Agriculture graduate of Odisha to make it to the IAS.

Laborers could be engaged in collection of paddy straws for production of manure and other purposes to encourage employment. Wages of these labourers could be given from MGNREGA funds.

Till kharif paddy is substituted with other crops, cultivation of short-duration rice varieties suited for direct-seeded-rice (DSR) method coupled with micro-irrigation could be tried as an alternative. Processing infrastructure to support a vibrant value chain linking to the market would, however, be needed. Also, making pellets/briquettes from paddy straw for their use in (thermal) power plants, use of stubble in bio-refineries (bio-ethanol), biomass gasification could be solutions to utilise paddy straw.

(By Rakesh Ranjan)