‘Jailing farmers doesn’t help anyone’: After floods wrecked harvest, Punjab stares at the parali puzzle

As Punjab’s farmers struggle to complete delayed paddy harvests due to one of the worst floods in recent times, they face yet another pressure – to quickly clear fields to make way for Rabi crops.  

Traditionally, farmers have resorted to stubble burning as a quick and cost-effective method to clear crop residue and prepare fields for the next sowing season. But with rising concerns over stubble burning’s contribution to Delhi’s pollution, farmers have to turn to the state’s crop residue management (CRM) policy, which uses alternative methods to manage stubble that don't cause pollution.    

Rows of tractors carrying rice straw bales are lined up outside the dharam kanda (weighing centre) in Patiala’s Chappar village. Manpreet Singh from Cheema Boilers Ltd. – a private firm that collects straw bales from local farmers – is speaking with the drivers of the tractors, who are all contractors. 

“Cheema Boilers has been using the paddy straw bales for generating electricity. It's a better alternative to coal,” Manpreet says. “We aim to collect around 10,000 to 14,000 tonnes this year from this area (adjoining villages). There are other centres too where collection happens.”

In a nearby field, a straw baler is at work. Neatly lined-up rows of paddy stubble, commonly known as parali, are turned into compact bales. Labourers then lift the bales and stack them on a trolley headed to the dharam kanda used by Cheema Boilers. There, the fully-loaded tractor is weighed, a slip is issued to the driver, and the bales are unloaded with the help of labourers before being weighed again. Once done, the tractor sets off for another round.

Across Punjab, many contractors partner with Cheema Boilers and similar firms to supply the required quantity of straw bales each season. These middlemen are often large-scale farmers who already own the machinery necessary for bale production and delivery. In recent years, Punjab’s markets have seen a surge in CRM machinery, including straw balers, happy seeders, and rotavators. These machines help either mulch the paddy residue in the soil while sowing wheat or convert it into bales – the balers being among the costliest, priced up to Rs 20 lakh or more.

“The government is offering ample subsidies on CRMs, going up to 80 percent,” says Suba Singh, SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate) of Moonak in Sangrur district. Punjab government websites list subsidy schemes for cooperatives, panchayats, and even individual farmers investing in CRMs. “We have been regularly holding camps. The agriculture department visits villages and urges farmers not to burn paddy stubble,” Suba Singh adds. “Farmers are now more aware and cooperative.”

Despite government initiatives, the practice of burning crop residue continues due to a gap between policy and on-ground implementation, argues Rinku Moonak, block president of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) Ugrahan, Moonak.

“There are many factors contributing to the issue, and it’s not as simple as blaming the farmers. They’re often left with no option but to burn the stubble,” he says. Moonak village, located in Punjab’s Malwa belt, has around 7,000–8,000 acres under the paddy-wheat rotation.

Policy vs farmers

Last year, farmers in Moonak responded positively to government calls and rented balers and rotavators to address the residue problem. But no one came to pick up the bales, says Rinku. 

“After multiple calls to officials and waiting for days, farmers had to get rid of the bales somehow,” he explains. 

Small farmers, unable to afford CRMs, rent them from larger farmers for Rs 1,500–2,000 per acre. With the bales left uncollected, the entire exercise proved more expensive for them.

Many farmers also tried mulching the residue into the soil. But that too added to costs. “Instead of levelling the field once, the tractor must make five to six rounds for mulching,” says Rinku. “Farmers who don’t own tractors have to pay extra rent.” Later, the wheat crop of 2025 suffered pest attacks, and many farmers blamed the mulched residue. “We feel mulching created more problems in production,” he says. Though there’s no scientific evidence linking pest infestation to mulching, the incident dealt a blow to farmers’ morale. “The government offered no compensation for the infested crop. The farmers were left stranded.”

Even as the number of CRMs increases each year, it’s not enough to address the issue fully. “Every village now has 7–8 different types of machines. Last year, there were 13–15 balers; now there are 30–40,” says Suba Singh. While officials claim there’s enough machinery to meet demand, unions disagree. “Right now, only 10 percent of paddy is harvested, mostly Basmati. But when the peak season arrives, machines aren’t available due to high demand,” says Rinku.

Vulnerable farming sector

Emerging from the worst floods in decades, Punjab’s farming sector remains highly vulnerable. Pest outbreaks, crop diseases, and untimely rains have worsened the damage, with acres of farmland lost to overflowing rivers. Paddy output has already dipped below last year’s levels and is expected to fall further.

Farmers often prefer high-yield paddy varieties such as PUSA-44 and PR-126 since these fetch at least the Minimum Support Price (MSP) at government mandis. However, these varieties also produce significant stubble. While the state has been discouraging the water-intensive PUSA-44, Rinku argues that until alternative rice varieties are assured MSP, farmers cannot risk switching.

“We are happy if we can get rid of paddy – it has done enough ecological damage,” says Rinku. “Our water tables are depleted, and we’re fed up with this parali problem.” But without a profitable MSP-backed alternative, farmers will continue cultivating water-guzzling, stubble-producing paddy varieties.

Is criminalising farmers a solution?

Punjab saw 165 cases of stubble burning this season, leading to fines of Rs 3.7 lakh imposed on 75 violators and FIRs registered in 81 cases. 

Across the Sahyadri mountains of Maharashtra, tribal villagers traditionally burn entire hills before the rains, believing the fire rejuvenates soil fertility and brings rain. Similarly, some farmers in Punjab believe burning stubble benefits the next crop cycle, as ash enriches the soil. However, farm fires in Punjab are often linked to pollution in Delhi, bypassing another state entirely, Haryana, which falls in the middle, and where too the same crops are farmed and the same practices of dealing with paddy residue are in place.

“When the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked farmers to stop burning their crops, it was out of concern for Delhi’s pollution,” says Balraj Joshi, Patiala president of BKU (Ekta) Ugrahan. “But over the years, the media narrative has falsely claimed that Delhi’s October–November pollution is caused by farm fires.” Paddy harvesting in Punjab runs from September to mid-November, but the peak lasts barely two weeks. “Farm fires happen because there’s only a week to ten days between the paddy harvest and wheat sowing,” Balraj explains. “Farmers can’t wait indefinitely for the in-situ CRM machinery to arrive, so with no choice left, they burn the stubble.”

According to BKU (Ekta) Ugrahan, the state government often evades responsibility for ensuring timely coordination and machinery supply. “Right now, they’re instilling fear among farmers by penalising them. That’s not solving the problem. We even disagree with the Supreme Court’s statement. You cannot jail farmers – it’s not going to help anyone,” says Balraj Joshi.

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