Context: Stubble burning in India could be resolved by the effective policy implementation.
Issues with stubble burning
A health and environmental hazard that repeats every year. As per 2018 Lancet study, stubble burning is major reason for premature deaths in India.
Huge volumes: Indian farmers set some 92 million tonnes of crop residues on fire which results into health costs to themselves and others.
Limited financially viable alternatives: Farmers often can’t afford other methods of crop residue management.
Policy challenge: Imposing and collecting fines for burning is not viable. Politically, penalising farmers who face financial distress is unlikely to pass muster especially in the run-up to state elections.
Policy lessons: Highlights of crop residue management study 2019
Farmers perceive the alternatives to burning as too expensive, even though the central government has subsidised equipment for crop residue management.
Preference to ex-situ management equipment over in-situ machinery such as Happy Seeder and Super SMS, as farmers prefer to remove the paddy stubble rather than working it into the field.
Cash transfers can succeed in getting farmers to switch from burning to residue management.
Partial upfront cash transfer: Cash rewards worked only if a partial upfront payment would be done to farmers to build trust. It also provides them financial cushion to pay for the equipment rental.
Rewards farmers are needed to cover their costs of managing stubble without burning.
A subsidy of about Rs 2,500 per acre should be able to achieve a marked reduction in burning.
Way Forward
Restarting conditional cash payments by the government with proper implementation mechanism.
Subsidise ex-situ equipment: Encouraging the operation of biogas plants can reduce the net cost of ex-situ management as farmers can sell the crop residue.
Consider farmers’ preferred method of crop residue management and recognise that they are making a financial calculation.
Testing effectiveness before these policies are scaled up is important for avoiding spending on things that don’t work.