This was stated by Radha Mohan Singh, minister of agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Government of India, addressing the National Conference on Potential of Waste in Energy Generation and its Challenges, organised in New Delhi by his ministry and the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE).
He emphasised the need to eliminate pollution caused by the burning of crop residues adding that the poisonous gas generated by it affected human health and destroyed soil nutrients.
Singh informed that the government was providing subsidy at the rate of 50-80 per cent for crop residue management machinery. These machines would help farmers in mixing crop residue with soil to make it more productive.
Farmer groups are being provided financial assistance at the rate of 80 per cent of the project cost for establishing farm machinery banks for custom hiring of crop residue management machinery. A provision of Rs 1151.80 crore for two years has been made under this scheme for states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region (NCR).
Singh added that that the management of crop residue in the field will help the soil become more fertile, thereby resulting in savings of Rs 2,000 per hectare from the farmer’s manure cost.
By making palette from crop residue, it can be used for power generation. Under the sub-mission on agricultural mechanisation, 40 per cent subsidy is given on straw rakes, straw balers, loaders etc. Through this, crop residue is collected and bales are made out of it, so that it is easy to carry crop residue palette to power generation plants.
The minister said that the agricultural engineering division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has done remarkable works in the area of bioenergy for biogas production from the paddy straw biomass.
He appealed to the farmers not to burn crop residue, thereby helping protect human health and environment.
