Stubble trouble: Farmers shun community hiring for personal machines
This trend persists despite the CHCs being offered a significantly higher 80% subsidy compared to the 50% for individual farmers.
The farmers' reluctance to rely on CHCs is driven by the operational challenges of the communal model, its failure to provide timely services during the narrow window to clear paddy fields for wheat sowing, and the farmers' preference for the personal control and flexibility that comes with owning their own machinery.
Since the launch of the centrally-sponsored 'Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-situ Management of Crop Residue' scheme in 2018-19, a total of 26,023 CHCs have been established or upgraded. During this period, the state received funds amounting to Rs 1,935.38 crore, which have been used to provide a total of 1,48,451 CRM machines to both individual farmers and CHCs. Presently, the scheme is being implemented on a shared pattern of 60:40 ratios between the Centre and state.
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Data from the state's agriculture dept for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25 highlights a difference in adoption trends. Out of 98,153 subsidised machines, 64,934 were purchased by individual farmers. In contrast, CHCs and their allied groups, including farmers' groups and panchayats, acquired only 29,499 machines. Meanwhile, cooperative societies have been provided 3,720 subsidised CRM machines over this period.
The number of CRM equipment procured by CHCs peaked at 15,184 machines in 2020-21 before plummeting to just 465 in 2023-24. While there was a modest recovery to 5,528 machines this fiscal year, the overall trend points to a growing disconnect between the scheme's design and its ground-level implementation.
The 'Comprehensive Plan for Prevention and Control of
Stubble Burning
in the State of Punjab (2025-26)' includes a special campaign to increase the usage of machines available in CHCs and a request to the cooperation dept to institute an award for the best-performing society.
To improve monitoring, a new web-based app has been developed to track machine utilisation at CHCs, with the dept requested to create a dashboard to be shared with stakeholders.
According to farmers and experts, the factors behind the trend include the narrow window between the paddy harvest and the wheat sowing season, which creates a rush. Farmers often complain that CHCs fail to provide timely access to machinery due to high, concentrated demand.
This sometimes forces them to seek out more flexible, albeit costlier, private hiring services.
Gurwinder Singh Bajwa, a progressive farmer from Gurdaspur, echoed these concerns, saying while a strong CHC network is crucial to combating stubble burning, many centres are understaffed and unable to properly maintain their CRM equipment. Bajwa also pointed out that the high number of tractors in the state reflects a broader tendency among farmers to prefer owning their own machines.
The operational viability of CHCs is also a major challenge. High maintenance and fuel costs make it difficult for these centres to sustain themselves. For many farmers, the ability to operate on their own schedule without having to coordinate with a collective outweighs the benefit of a cheaper hiring service. The preference for personal control and the multi-purpose functionality of some machines, such as the super seeder, further encourage individual ownership.
**BOX: CRM MACHINES PROVIDED IN 5 YEARS**
2024-25
Individual farmers: 11,438
CHCs: 5,528
Cooperative Societies: 1,151
2023-24
Individual farmers: 11,750
CHCs: 465
Cooperative Societies: 964
2022-23
Individual farmers: 25,160
CHCs: 1,617
Cooperative Societies: 473
2021-22
Individual farmers: 6,614
CHCs: 6,705
Cooperative Societies: 477
2020-21
Individual farmers: 9,972
CHCs: 15,184
Cooperative Societies: 655
MSID:: 123062678 413 |
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