Lok Sabha Question No. 1592 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Support for Paddy Residue Management
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Charanjit Singh Channi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1592

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 29 TH  JULY 2025

## SUPPORT FOR PADDY RESIDUE MANAGEMENT

1592.  SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  formulate  a  scheme  to  provide  per  acre expenditure support to paddy growing farmers for the collection and safe disposal of paddy residue to discourage stubble burning;
- (b) if so, the details of the proposed scheme, including quantum of financial assistance per acre and modalities of direct transfer to farmers;
- (c) whether  the  Ministry  has  assessed  the  cost  incurred  by  farmers  for  residue management per acre, and if so, the findings thereof
- (d) whether the Government  will  consider integrating  this  support  with  existing  crop residue  management  machinery  schemes  to  ensure  effective  implementation  and environmental compliance; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) to (e):  The Crop Residue Management(CRM) Scheme being implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) since 2018-19 in the states of Punjab,  Haryana,  Uttar  Pradesh  and  NCT  of  Delhi.  Under  the  CRM  scheme  as  on 30.06.2025, the central funds amounting to Rs.  3951.16 Crores have been released.  The States  have  provided  more  than  3.24  lakh  crop  residue  management  machines to  the farmers. The States have also established more than 42,000 Custom Hiring Centres of Crop  Residue  management  machines with  80%  subsidy  with  the  intention  of  making available the equipments and machines to the farmers as per their requirements on rental basis at the rates lower than the market rates.

There is no proposal to formulate a scheme to provide per acre expenditure support to paddy growing farmers for collection and safe disposal of paddy residue over  and  above  the  financial  support  already  being  provided  under  the  Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme

Under this scheme, ex-situ management of paddy straw is also promoted by providing financial assistance for establishing paddy straw supply chain with the boarder objectives  of  ensuring  biomass  supply  security for  pre-identified  ex-situ based small-medium-large scale industrial projects of bio-CNG/CBG, Bio-Ethanol or Biomass based power generation etc. The sale of paddy straw to these industrial projects provide an additional income to the farmers.

Super seeder is the most preferred machine for in-situ management followed by Happy Seeder and Smart Seeder. These machines are used for sowing wheat directly  into  just-harvested  rice  fields  without  burning  or  removing  straw.  The average rentals for Super/Happy/Smart Seeder is around Rs. 2500/- per acre for sowing  of  wheat,  which  is  almost  equal  to  the  cost  of  sowing  wheat  by  other methods  after  burning  the  paddy  straw. The  overall  benefits  of  in-situ  residue management practices by using these machines also include enrichment of soil fertility and savings on reduced application of fertilizers.

The overall  objective  of  reducing  the burning  of  paddy straw  through  the initiatives under CRM scheme is getting realized as it is evident from the reports published  by  the  Consortium  for  Research  on  Agroecosystem  Monitoring  and Modelling  from  Space  (CREAMS)  Laboratory,  Division  of  Agricultural  Physics, Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  -  Indian  Agricultural  Research Institute  (IARI),  New  Delhi.  The  paddy  straw  burning  events  between  15th September to 30th November during 2018 in the States of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were 75514, which have been reduced to 18457 events during 2024 for the same period, which indicates 75.5 percent reduction in paddy straw burning.

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