Punjab seeks to phase out paddy cultivation to stop crop burning

Punjab has suggested phasing out paddy cultivation

The Punjab government has told the Supreme Court that crop burning may reduce if paddy cultivation is slowly phased out in the state by reducing incentives for the crop and encouraging farmers to cultivate alternate crops.

The state government told the court that Punjab's water table is coming down drastically because of paddy cultivation and the crop is not even consumed in the state. The apex court agreed with the suggestion of the Punjab government and asked the central government to explore the possibility of giving minimum support price for the alternative crops rather than giving it for paddy.

The apex court also highlighted the misuse of minimum support price (MSP), given by the central government in Punjab. According to the order "paddy grown in adjacent States is then brought into Punjab to claim MSP and sold under the MSP policy".

The order notes that stubble is the byproduct of a particular kind of paddy grown in Punjab and this along with the season in which it grows in causes crop burning. "A serious look is required. Thus, whether this kind of paddy should at all be grown and certainly we believe not in Punjab because the problem is persistent with the particular paddy which is grown and the time period in which it is grown," the order said.

The court has also asked Punjab to look into the provisions of Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009 is also a major contributing factor to pollution. The act, which was brought in to conserve groundwater in the state, mandates a delay in transplanting paddy to after June 10, to prevent water from evaporating.

It was argued in the court that owing to this act, farmers have a very small time frame to harvest paddy and prepare the soil for the wheat crop. To clear the soil, farmer resort to stubble burning.

"As submitted paddy not a regular crop. The switch over to alternative crops is necessary so that next year we don’t face this problem," the order said. The court observed that the switch over can only occur when the MSP is not granted for paddy.

Other suggestions by Punjab

Noting that farmers are burning stubble purely for economic reasons, the Punjab government suggested the use of technology to provide them with alternate solution free of cost. The state government has purchased expensive machinery and is ready to offer them at a subsidised rate to farmers, but the farmers are unwilling to buy. Hence, the advocate general for the state suggested that the Punjab and Delhi governments could share 50 percent of the cost of these machines together, while the central government could bear the rest.

"We do believe that when the Centre provides so many other subsidies, there is no reason why this cost should not be borne," the court said.

The orders were passed in the 1985 MC Mehta case. The top court had passed many orders barring the government and other stakeholders from certain activities, in the interests of preserving the environment.