West Bengal government looks at an Alternative to Burning of Stubble

KOLKATA: Having banned stubble burning earlier this year, the West Bengal government is now relying on an intense awareness campaign and use of advanced agri-equipment to ensure farmers do not indulge in the polluting practice, but officials claim that the problem has not yet reached major proportions in the eastern state.

Officials say the source of the problem of stubble burning lies in the farmers resorting to the "quick" technology of mechanical harvesters which leave behind a substantial part of the root of the crop as a residue.

“Stubble is always there in paddy cultivation. The problem is that the stubbles have become longer due to the use of machinery," Pradip Majumdar, advisor, agriculture and allied sector in the Chief Minister's office, said.

Echoing Majumdar, State Pollution Control Board (PCB) chief Kalyan Rudra said the practice of stubble burning was not there historically. “Due to recent technological advances, the window between the Kharif and Rabi crop has narrowed down. So to prepare the land, the farmers resort to a quick technology by making use of a mechanical harvester. In this process, a substantial part of the root of the crop remains as a residue,” Rudra said. (IANS)

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