Key solutions to combat stubble burning for a greener future and promoting sustainable agriculture

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Burning of Paddy straw, in critical numbers across northern India continues to have severe economic, environmental, and health repercussions. The estimated annual cost of air pollution caused by stubble burning is $30 billion in India, as it affects public health, tourism, and local economies. Farmers continue to burn the paddy straw due to economic and logistically difficult circumstances. To address this problem, considerable government attention is required towards sustainable solutions such as biogas production and crop residue management.

Why farmers burn paddy straw?

The primary reason for burning stubble is the imperative to seek cost-effective options for its utilisation. In States such as Punjab and Haryana, where rice-wheat crop cycles prevail, farmers have a tight 15-20-day interval between harvests, which requires rapid preparation of land for the following crop. Mechanised harvesting results in massive amounts of stubble, and alternative uses such as mushroom cultivation or cattle feed are highly sensitive to high costs of storage and low market demand.

Manual removal of stubble is expensive and time-consuming, whereas burning is still the cheapest option at ₹300-500 per acre compared with alternatives such as baling or mulching, which costs around ₹3,000-5,000 per acre. Lack of awareness and limited access aggravates the problem. Consequentially, the amount of paddy straw that burns every year in North India exceeds 23 million tonnes, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the winter air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.

The hidden cost of stubble burning

Emissions from stubble burning produce hazardous pollution such as PM2.5 and PM10, carbon dioxide, and methane. These pollutions degrade the air quality and lead to public health issues and severe respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Besides that, it also affects the soil equally. Paddy straw burning destroys beneficial soil microorganisms and organic matter, which reduces soil fertility as heat from fire can reach up to 1 centimetre in soil, destroying the microbial flora, soil structure and long-term productivity.

Sustainable alternative to stubble burning

Paddy straw, rich in cellulose, will offer a sustainable alternative instead of burning stubble through biogas production. Annually, India produces approximately 112 million tonnes of paddy straw, offering a renewable resource for energy generation. Anaerobic digestion technology converts paddy straw to methane-rich biogas for energy and organic compost for agriculture. One tonne of paddy straw is processed to produce approximately 300 cubic metres of biogas, the equivalent of more than 100 kilograms of compressed natural gas (CNG). Biogas plants are also instrumental in circular agricultural practices because they produce organic compost, which enhances soil fertility. On a large scale, this technology can reduce dependency on fossil fuels, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and manage agricultural waste effectively.

The National Bio-Energy Mission and SATAT scheme emphasise the importance of biogas development, thereby creating a huge market for paddy straw. The entry of farmers into this supply chain can convert agricultural waste from liability to opportunity-generating source and can potentially gain an added sum of ₹1,500-2,000 for every tonne of paddy straw.

Key policies and reforms initiated by the government

Recognising the severity of this situation, the government has initiated a few reforms – The Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) provides subsidies for machinery like Happy Seeders, straw balers, and Super Straw Management Systems (SSMS), which facilitate in-situ residue management. The National Biogas and Manure Management Program (NBMMP) promotes biogas production, offering renewable energy solutions to farmers and The Crop Residue Management Scheme, with a budget of ₹700 million in 2022, subsidizes equipment for sustainable stubble management.

All this notwithstanding, there still are important steps that the government can take that can help push this program forward, like:

Low-interest loans for biogas units – One of the largest barriers to farmers adopting biogas production is the investment required in developing a biogas unit. One way to provide an incentive for setting up biogas units is by offering low-interest loans or subsidies for small-scale, site-appropriate biogas plants adapted to individual or cooperative farm families. These schemes can bring friendly energy solutions closer to farmers and reduce their dependence on environmentally harmful method. According to IBA, more than half of the prospective projects, commensurate to the active LOIs, are in stalemate due to non-financial closure (loan not sanctioned under fair terms). Subvention of loan interest rates or relaxing the collateral requirement can significantly push the on-ground realisation of CBG projects.

The government is providing subsidies for setting up of small-sized biogas plants under the Biogas program of National Bioenergy Policy, 2022. For small biogas plants (1-25 cubic meter/day plant capacity) it ranges between ₹9,800 to ₹70,400 per plant based on the size of the plant in cubic and for Power generation and thermal application (25 – 2500 cubic meter/day plant capacity) it stands between ₹35,000 to ₹45,000 per kilowatt electrical and ₹17,500 to ₹22,500 per kilowatt equivalent for thermal applications (The eligible CFA would be 20 per cent higher than Standard CFA for North Eastern Region, Island, Registered Gaushalas and SC/ST beneficiaries).

R&D for advanced biogas technologies – For biogas technology to be economical, reliable, and less maintenance-intensive, it must be research and development-intensive. Initiatives promoting the use of technology, such as satellite monitoring systems to detect burning incidents, have been implemented. However, new developments, such as compact biogas systems that process mixed organic inputs, like crop residue and livestock manure, are also needed to pump up biogas yields and help mitigate this situation.

Large-scale biogas plants – The government should provide large-scale biogas plants for cooperative farming communities, thereby simultaneously catering to many other issues. It could be a source of energy for several farmers and reduce costs on individual levels simultaneously. The extra biogas produced could be sold back to the grid or used commercially, and that again would be yet another source of income for the community.

Incentives for waste management – India has tremendous potential in terms of livestock waste and crop residue. As per the 20th National Livestock Census, India has a total of 193.4 million cattle and 109.8 million buffalo which shows significant potential for biogas generation through cow/ buffalo dung based plants. Similarly, as per the MNRE and ASCI, Hyderabad, total surplus biomass in India is close to 230 million tonnes. To upscale the adoption, incentives that will encourage the collection and supply of crop residues and livestock waste for biogas production should be established. Further, training will help farmers in the value and operation of the biogas systems and motivate more participation in these green ventures. The government has provisioned ₹564 crore (FY 23-24 to FY 26-27) for biomass aggregation mechanisation under the Crop residue management scheme.

The way forward

Burning Parali marks the end of an era, and this change is not only an environmental imperative but also an opportunity for the country’s farmers to change. However, this vision can be achieved only through cooperation from sustained government policies, technological innovation, and stakeholder collaboration. Arming the farmer with the appropriate tools and knowledge, to set up a bright future, sustainable and prosperous.

The author is Chairman, Indian Biogas Association