Stubble burning: Parliamentary Panel calls for MSP-like pricing for paddy residue

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday recommended setting up a mechanism to determine a minimum price for paddy residue, similar to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, to discourage stubble burning in winter.

In its report tabled in the Rajya Sabha, the Committee on Subordinate Legislation suggested that these benchmark prices should be reviewed and notified annually before the Kharif harvest season.

This would ensure they reflect farmers' costs for residue collection, including labour and machinery, it said.

Unfavourable weather conditions, combined with vehicular emissions, stubble burning, firecrackers and other local pollution sources lead to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during winter.

Most stubble-burning incidents occur in Punjab and Haryana, where many farmers burn crop residue to quickly prepare their fields for the next crop.

The Centre has been providing farmers with subsidised machinery such as happy seeders, rotavators, and mulchers for in-situ paddy straw management. However, the high fuel cost discourages many farmers from using these machines.

Some farmers sell paddy straw to biomass plants and boilers, but the price is not always fixed.

The parliamentary committee recommended setting up a mechanism, in consultation with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which oversees pollution control in Delhi-NCR, to determine and benchmark a minimum price for paddy residue.

"This price should function similarly to a Minimum Support Price (MSP) to provide farmers with guaranteed returns upon selling their stubble," it said.

The committee also urged state governments to promote the adoption of short-duration paddy varieties instead of long-duration ones like PUSA 44.

It suggested steps such as standardising procurement processes, enforcing seed certification bans and offering financial support to farmers who opt for crop diversification under government schemes.

The committee also recommended that the central government develop an impact evaluation framework for crop diversification incentives under schemes like the Crop Diversification Plan to assess their scalability in other states.

The panel also called for a unified national policy to integrate agricultural residue into bioenergy generation.

"This policy should ensure inter-ministerial coordination across the ministries of agriculture, new and renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, industry, health and environment, and prioritise the adoption of technologies like bioethanol, compressed biogas, and biomass pellets," the committee said.

The policy should also address ex-situ crop residue management costs, provide financial incentives, develop supply chain infrastructure, and implement awareness programs for farmers to ensure economic viability and environmental sustainability, it added.