Stubble burning pollution: Why Punjab vets want paddy straw fed to animals

Stubble burning by farmers during the paddy harvesting season has long been been considered a major cause of air pollution in north India. Punjab, for instance, produces over 20 million tonnes of paddy straw every year, most of which is burnt by farmers in order to quickly clear the fields for the next crop. Now, veterinary scientists from the state may have come up with a solution to the problem.

The Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, has submitted a research report to the government under the project ‘Preparation for the control of stubble burning during Kharif season 2021.’ Citing the use of nearly 30.4% of rice straw for animal feed in Southeast Asia, Mongolia and China, the report has recommended a similar course of action in Punjab.

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The report adds that the value of burnt paddy straw is approximately Rs 400 crore, calculated on an average rate of Rs 200/quintal. This also accounts for the loss of 77,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 5.6 million tonnes of Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) which could be used for ruminant production, The Indian Express quotes the report as saying.

However, according to the GADVASU experts, the paddy cannot be fed directly to the animals cannot from fields. The experts have recommended urea-only treatment and urea plus molasses treatment for paddy straw before it can be used as cattle fodder.

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Stubble burning can contribute between 20% to 70% of Delhi’s air pollution during October and November, according to a Scroll.in report. Last year, the figure stood at 80%, the report quoted an unnamed official at the Delhi Pollution Control Board as saying.

Punjab reported an increase of 44.5% in stubble burning cases during the last year, the government told the Supreme Court.

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Earlier this month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while announcing the winter action plan for pollution, said that listed paddy stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana as Delhi’s biggest problem in the coming weeks will be pollution.