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In a move to curb stubble burning which causes high levels of pollution in the region, the agricultural and farmer welfare department has launched a pilot project in two Ambala villages to familiarise farmers with chaff cutters and balers – machines that compress crop residue into compact bales which are easy to store or transport. These are now being taken to a sugar mill in Naraingarh for power generation. Chaff Cutter Blade
As part of the project, farmers will be encouraged to sell their paddy stubble to the mill in Banondi village through a private firm.
Deputy director of agriculture (DDA) Girish Nagpal said the project had been started in the village panchayats of Bada and Ugada in Ambala district.
“Stubble worth ₹ 1,800 per tonne is being delivered to the sugar mill under a contract, after which the profit will be given to the farmers after deducting the expenses of the baler machines. Broadly, farmers will get a profit of around ₹ 500 per acre from this project,” Nagpal said.
Bara Village sarpanch Vikas Behgal said that a baler, cutter and stringer (to tie the bales) were available in the village.
Chaff Cutter Machine Animal Feed “Farmers are exhibiting interest in the machines as they had no option to manage the stubble and no one was happy to burn it. I can say that not a single acre has been burnt here and won’t be burnt in the future too,” Behgal added.