Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, today chaired a crucial meeting on stubble management in New Delhi along with Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav. The meeting, held at Krishi Bhavan, was attended virtually by Punjab Agriculture Minister Shri Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Haryana Agriculture Minister Shri Shyam Singh Rana, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Shri Surya Pratap Shahi, and Delhi Environment Minister Shri Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

The meeting focused on strategies to curb air pollution caused by stubble burning, promote better utilisation of paddy residue, and enhance awareness, financial support, monitoring, crop management, and diversification among farmers.

At the outset, the Agriculture Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh briefed the Union Agriculture Minister on the status of stubble management in their respective states and informed that implementation of stubble management schemes is being carried out with full alertness and commitment. They assured that their officers and field departments are actively engaged in the task.

The Haryana Agriculture Minister highlighted that the state is encouraging farmers not to burn stubble by providing financial assistance, which has had a significant positive impact, motivating farmers to adopt alternative stubble management methods.

Appreciating the efforts of the states, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that while commendable work is being done in this regard, continuous and sustained efforts are necessary to achieve larger goals. He emphasised that public awareness among farmers is crucial and suggested that panchayats, local representatives, and nodal officers should be actively involved at the village level to achieve better outcomes.

Shri Chouhan further discussed issues related to crop management, direct seeding, diversification, effective utilisation of allocated funds, monitoring mechanisms, and the formulation of practical, target-oriented action plans. He said that by adopting concrete, coordinated measures, tangible and positive results will definitely follow.

The Union Minister urged state agriculture ministers to promote direct seeding in their respective regions. Shri Chouhan announced that he will personally begin direct wheat sowing in his own field on October 12, immediately after the paddy harvesting process, to set an example for farmers.

“When farmers see me doing it, they too will be encouraged to adopt direct sowing,” the Union Minister remarked. He also urged farmers to use rotavators, choppers, bio-decomposers, and mulching equipment, and to promote bio-CNG and ethanol plants to utilise crop residues effectively.

Highlighting the importance of proper fund utilisation, Shri Chouhan directed states to ensure that available funds for stubble management are spent efficiently, so that the availability of machinery does not become an issue. He also stressed the need to prioritise crop diversification as part of long-term efforts. The Union Minister proposed linking bio-CNG, pellet, compost units, industries, and thermal plants with stubble collection and disposal systems to ensure scientific management of crop residue.

Overall, the Union Agriculture Minister underlined the need for training, awareness, capacity building, and real-time monitoring. “With coordinated efforts between the Centre and the states, the incidents of stubble burning will certainly reduce further in the coming days,” he said. “Real-time or on-ground monitoring is essential. I am confident that with sustained efforts, we will achieve better outcomes and succeed in protecting the environment and climate.”

Addressing the meeting, Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav commended the states for their ongoing efforts in stubble management and emphasised enhanced coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and state governments over the next 10 days. He stressed the importance of stubble collection and storage to ensure its proper industrial utilisation, highlighting the potential use of stubble in brick kilns and thermal power plants.

The meeting was also attended by Agriculture Secretary Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, ICAR Director General Dr. M. L. Jat, and other senior officials from both ministries.

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RC/AR/MC