Why Stubble Burning Persists in North India and the Structural Reforms Needed

#GS-3 #Environment #Agriculture #Pollution #Climate Change #Infrastructure

Key takeaways

Punjab and Haryana generate nearly 29 million metric tons of paddy straw each year, fueling widespread seasonal fires across North India.
The Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 unintentionally narrowed the gap between paddy harvest and wheat sowing to just 10 to 15 days.
Assured Minimum Support Price purchasing in Punjab (87%) and Haryana (74%) keeps farmers locked into water-heavy rice cultivation despite falling groundwater levels.
Although official reports claimed a 90% drop in farm fires between 2022 and 2025, independent satellite area tracking reveals a lower reduction of around 30%.
Fixing a guaranteed floor price for crop straw delivered to bio-energy plants can offset collection costs of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 per acre for smallholders.

As winter approaches, worsening air quality levels across North India have brought farm fires back into focus.
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana continue to burn crop residue despite strict legal bans and reported drops in fire counts.
This recurring issue shows that farm fires are deeply tied to conflicting agricultural laws, government subsidies, and short harvest windows.

Stubble burning refers to the practice of setting fire to crop residue left in the field after harvesting.
Farmers burn the lower parts of paddy stalks that remain rooted in the soil.
This practice mainly takes place from early October to late November across northwest India.

Punjab and Haryana produce around 29 million metric tons of paddy straw every year.
Before changing sowing schedules by law, Punjab faced an annual irrigation deficit of 14.31 billion cubic meters with groundwater dropping by 0.36 meters per year between 1999 and 2009.
Data from NASA satellites showed a massive loss of 109 cubic kilometers of groundwater across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan between 2002 and 2008.
Government procurement of paddy averaged 87% in Punjab and 74% in Haryana between 2012 and 2024, which is far higher than the national average of 37%.
Official reports claimed a 90% drop in fires between 2022 and 2025, but multi-satellite land assessments show a much smaller decline of about 30%.

The Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 banned early paddy planting to save water, which pushed harvesting into late October and left farmers with only 10 to 15 days to prepare fields for wheat.
Sowing long-duration paddy varieties like PUSA-44 delays harvesting to early November, leaving almost no turnaround time before wheat planting begins.
Modern combine harvesters harvest grain quickly but leave about a foot of dense, rooted straw across the entire field.
High labor costs and labor shortages make manual clearing unfeasible, leaving fire as the fastest and cheapest option for farmers.
Open-ended government procurement at Minimum Support Price combined with free farm electricity shields farmers from commercial risks and keeps them attached to paddy.
Free electricity for tube-well pumps in Punjab removes any economic incentive for farmers to shift away from water-intensive rice crops.
Specialized Crop Residue Management machines require high-capacity 60-HP tractors that small farmers cannot afford to buy or easily rent.
Renting equipment like Happy Seeders or Super Seeders costs smallholders around Rs 10,000 alongside long waiting lists during peak season.
Farmers evade satellite surveillance by burning fields in the evening after daytime monitoring satellites like MODIS and VIIRS have passed.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) deployed 31 flying squads across sensitive districts to enforce bans and penalize non-compliant officials.
Rulings by the National Green Tribunal in 2018 and the Supreme Court in 2023 permitted authorities to deny Minimum Support Price benefits to repeat offenders.
The Haryana state government offers cash incentives including Rs 1,000 per acre for machine deployment, Rs 4,000 per acre for direct seeding, and Rs 7,000 per acre for crop diversification.
The Punjab government provides subsidized equipment such as Happy Seeders, Super Seeders, and Rotavators through local Custom Hiring Centers.

Burning crop residue releases large amounts of harmful fine particulate matter like PM2.5, toxic carbon monoxide, and carcinogenic compounds into the air.
Winter temperature inversions trap these agricultural emissions close to the ground, creating thick toxic smog across the National Capital Region.
Extreme surface heat from fires destroys vital soil nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and sulfur required for future crops.
Losing topsoil nutrients forces farmers to spend more money on chemical fertilizers for the subsequent wheat crop.
High heat strips moisture from upper soil layers and kills beneficial microbial organisms that keep the soil fertile.
Damaged farmland loses organic carbon, which reduces its water retention capacity and causes soil compaction.
Breathing seasonal smog causes severe public health problems, including spikes in asthma attacks, heart issues, and lung diseases in northern cities.
Heavy reliance on punitive actions leads local officials to underreport fires and hide violations instead of solving the core problem.

Authorities should combine polar satellite feeds with geostationary monitoring systems to track evening and nighttime fires effectively.
States should replicate Haryana's Rs 7,000 per acre incentive scheme across Punjab while guaranteeing public procurement for alternative crops like maize, pulses, and oilseeds.
The government should fix a legal floor price for collected straw supplied to bio-gas and ethanol plants to cover the Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 per acre collection cost.
Farmers should replace long-duration varieties like PUSA-44 with short-duration, high-yielding crops like PR-126 to extend the post-harvest field window beyond 30 days.
Governments should stop prosecuting small farmers and instead pool tractor equipment at the Panchayat level for affordable machinery access.