LAHORE: To discourage the burning of rice stubble, the Punjab Agriculture Department is providing 1,000 super seeders to farmers for Rs5 billion, offering a 60 per cent subsidy for properly disposing of paddy residue.

The burning of paddy residue contributes to severe smog, and the government is deploying all available resources to combat this issue. “We have a zero-tolerance policy against the burning of residues from various crops, particularly rice,” stated Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani during a high-level meeting on smog control held on Friday. Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo and Secretary Environment Punjab Jahangir Anwar also participated in the meeting.

The Minister emphasized that the Chief Minister of Punjab envisions a clean environment for future generations, which is why the smog policy is being implemented. He further noted that the agriculture and environment departments are collaborating closely to control smog. This year, for the first time in agricultural history, 1,000 super seeders will be operational for paddy harvesting. The use of this modern machinery will facilitate the effective utilization of paddy residue, aiding in smog reduction.

This year, paddy was cultivated on 6.6 million acres in Punjab, and harvesting is currently underway. Paddy is a vital cash crop, generating $4 billion in foreign exchange from exports last year. It is crucial to raise awareness among farmers about eliminating crop residues. The Minister urged them to invest in modern machinery to manage paddy residue and help mitigate smog. Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo reported that paddy was cultivated on 9.33% more land than last year.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024