Punjab Stakeholders Develop Coordinated Strategy for Sustainable Crop-Residue Management

Agricultural scientists, policymakers, farmers, machinery manufacturers and other stakeholders have come together in Punjab to develop a coordinated approach to crop-residue management. A high-level workshop on Crop Residue Management: Convergence and Synergy for Sustainable Solutions was organised by ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Ludhiana, at Punjab Agricultural University.

The meeting brought together representatives from research institutions, extension agencies, farmer organisations, Custom Hiring Centres, machinery manufacturers, service providers, NGOs and industry. The objective was to examine practical solutions for managing crop residues while reducing dependence on burning.

Participants discussed the entire crop-residue management chain. Key areas included in-situ management through machinery and technology, collection and utilisation of biomass outside farms, crop diversification, farmer awareness and incentives, and stronger coordination between government agencies and other stakeholders.

The workshop noted that Punjab has made progress in reducing crop-residue burning. However, participants stressed that the next stage should focus on making better use of existing machinery and developing systems suited to local conditions. With paddy cultivated over about 31.76 lakh hectares and generating nearly 20 million tonnes of straw, district-level planning and improved coordination were identified as important requirements.

The discussions also examined opportunities to use paddy straw for bioenergy, compressed biogas, industrial applications and carbon-market activities. At the same time, participants pointed to challenges involving collection, transportation, storage, costs and reliable demand for biomass.

Another proposal was the creation of CRM CONNECT, a collaborative platform intended to improve communication among farmers, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Custom Hiring Centres, machinery manufacturers, service providers and industries. The proposed system could support shared planning, technology dissemination, data exchange and faster resolution of field-level issues.

The workshop concluded with a commitment to strengthen collaborative efforts aimed at reducing residue burning and promoting cleaner, more resource-efficient agricultural practices across Punjab.

30-09-2026