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LAHORE, Oct 13 (APP):The Punjab Agriculture department has urged paddy growers to refrain from burning crop residues after its harvesting in order to prevent smog formation.
A spokesman for the department said here on Monday that farmers had been advised to follow the guidelines issued by the department for proper disposal of crop residues.
He said that burning rice stubble damages the organic matter present in the top soil and reduces soil fertility.
He further said that, under the Punjab Chief Minister’s Smog Control Programme, the Punjab government had provided 5,000 Super Seeders to farmers at 60 percent subsidy, costing Rs 5 billion, to enable them to manage crop residues efficiently using modern machinery. Paddy growers could utilize Super Seeders to incorporate crop residues into the soil instead of burning them.
After harvesting, farmers could enhance soil fertility by mixing the remaining stubble into the soil rather than setting it on fire, he added.
Paddy residues could be incorporated into the soil using a Rotavator (in case of manual harvesting) or Disc Harrow (in case of mechanical harvesting), he said and added alternatively, farmers may plough the field deeply, apply half a bag of urea per acre and irrigate the land. He said that this practice improves soil fertility and productivity.
He said that as per Punjab government’s directives, burning paddy stubble was a punishable crime, therefore, farmers were advised to avoid burning crop residues after paddy harvest.