The Economics of Clean Air
Why Farmers Burn Stubble
Why Punjab and Haryana farmers burn rice residue after harvest, the economics behind it, and the alternatives like machines, markets for straw and crop diversification.
After the rice harvest in October, many farmers in Punjab and Haryana burn leftover stubble.
Why they burn
- Short window: only a few weeks between rice harvest and wheat sowing.
- Combine harvesters leave long stubble.
- Burning is the cheapest and fastest way to clear fields.
A 2009 law’s side effect
Punjab’s Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009 delayed rice transplanting to save groundwater, which shortened the window before wheat and increased burning.
Costs to others
Smoke adds to north India’s winter pollution, a negative externality.
Alternatives
- Happy Seeder and Super Seeder machines sow wheat without removing stubble.
- Bio-decomposers that break down straw.
- Selling straw to biomass power and biogas plants.
- Crop diversification away from rice.
Policy
- Subsidies for machines.
- Fines for burning.
- Incentives for not burning.
Progress
Recorded fire counts in Punjab fell in 2023-24 compared with earlier peaks.
A Punjab farmer with two weeks to sow wheat burns his rice stubble for free, rather than renting a machine he can't easily get in time.
Time pressure and costs drive the choice.
- Farmers burn stubble due to a short window and low cost.
- A 2009 groundwater law shortened the window.
- Machines, straw markets and diversification offer alternatives.
- Fire counts fell in 2023-24.
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