Written by PPL Newsroom• October 7, 2026• 6:26 am• Business & Sustainability

Ludhiana farmer ploughs paddy stubble back into his potato fields

Sukhwinder Singh of Lakhowal village says retaining straw is improving his soil, as Punjab backs residue machinery and tracks 84 farm fires so far this season.

A farmer in Lakhowal village, in Ludhiana’s Mangat block, has chosen to mix paddy stubble into his soil rather than burn it. Sukhwinder Singh is growing potatoes on about seven acres using in-situ crop residue management, The Tribune reported. He says he can already see healthier crop growth, and neighbours are taking note.

What the farmer is seeing

According to the report, Singh describes retaining stubble as a practical alternative to burning, with benefits for soil health and the environment. He says the soil is responding better and the difference shows in how the crop is growing. Villagers told the newspaper his fields look healthier, and many are now motivated to try the same method.

These are one farmer’s observations, not a measured trial. Still, they fit what agricultural scientists have long advised.

Why burning costs the soil

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) experts say the short gap between paddy harvest and the next sowing pushes many farmers towards fire. Citing an estimate, The Tribune reported that burning 10 quintals of paddy straw, or one tonne, destroys about 400 kg of organic carbon. It also wastes 5.5 kg of nitrogen, 2.3 kg of phosphorus, 25 kg of potassium and 1.2 kg of sulphur. Keeping the straw in the field returns these nutrients to the soil and can reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers.

Support and enforcement this season

Punjab’s agriculture action plan for 2026-27 sets aside Rs 600 crore of a Rs 1,388 crore total for crop residue management, according to state Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian. The state says it aims to supply machinery at subsidised rates. A pre-harvest report says more than 22,000 such machines will be available this season, including about 7,500 Super Straw Management System units and 6,500 super seeders. The Tribune noted that these tractor-mounted machines mulch the residue and sow seed along with fertiliser.

The Centre’s scheme offers 50 per cent financial assistance to farmers buying such equipment. It also offers 80 per cent assistance to cooperatives, self-help groups, panchayats and others setting up custom hiring centres, according to an ANI-based report.

Enforcement is under way alongside. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) report, updated on 5 October, recorded 84 fire incidents in Punjab so far this season. Inspections confirmed burning at 30 locations, and Amritsar accounted for 49 of the reported cases.

What this means for India

Paddy-straw burning in Punjab is a recurring concern for air quality in north India during the harvest season. Singh’s experience shows how one farmer can handle residue within the field. The cost of machinery remains a barrier for small farmers, as The Tribune has reported. Subsidies and custom hiring centres are meant to ease that. Farmers elsewhere can look to such local examples, and to PAU’s Krishi Vigyan Kendras, for practical guidance.

What happens next

Wheat sowing follows paddy harvest, and the weeks ahead are when fire counts usually climb. Whether more farmers in Lakhowal and nearby villages adopt residue incorporation will show in this season’s field inspections and in the soil gains farmers report.