Air pollution has become a global problem but if we talk about India, smog levels increase in Delhi with the arrival of winter every year. Delhi becomes a gas chamber in the months of October, November and December. Although there are many factors contributing to the pollution levels in Delhi, such as smoke from vehicles, construction work and factories, the biggest factor during these three months is stubble burning done by farmers in Haryana. The paddy crop is harvested in the month of October/November and Diwali is also celebrated around the same time. Stubble burning and crackers are considered the two main reasons behind the increased air pollution in Delhi during this time. According to scientists, stubble burning and lighting fire crackers can be very dangerous to the health of the people in Delhi. The organic content of PM2.5 is high in stubble air. This causes irritation in the eyes, nose and throat.

It is important to understand that, apart from stubble burning, the weather conditions in Delhi during October-November also plays a role in air pollution. If the stubble was burnt in the summer, the air pollutants released from it would disappear by dispersing in the wind. However, during the cold weather, the air is heavy hence the pollutants don’t disperse easily.

Air pollution during morning and evening times during winters is very high. At this time, there is a stagnancy in air and whatever is released into the air doesn’t disperse for several hours.

We have discussed the problem. Now let us talk about the measures that can be effective for stubble control:

• In-situ Crop Residue Management – This is supported by the Crop Residue Management(CRM) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture. This includes the procurement of machines, setting up of custom hiring centres, high yielding and short duration paddy varieties, extensive use of bio-decomposers.
• Ex-situ Crop Residue Management – This includes alternative use of paddy husks, biomass power projects, co-firing in thermal power plants, feedstock for 2G ethanol plants, feedstock in a compressed biogas plant, fuel in industrial boilers, WTE plant, packaging material etc.
• Ban on stubble burning. Keep a constant watch and develop a technique to reduce stubble.
• Reduce paddy cultivation throughout North India by changing government policies. Paddy crop consumes a lot of water. The climate of north India is not conducive to the cultivation of paddy. The MSP on the purchase of paddy encourages farmers to take up paddy cultivation. Indiscriminate cultivation of paddy can be curbed by promoting suitable low water crops.
• Various varieties of paddy have been developed by the International Rice Research Institute in recent years which are drought-resistant such as participatory paddy, DRR paddy 42, 43, 44 etc. These have been developed keeping the Indian climate in mind. These species become ready in less time (105 days).
• Machines are used for harvesting paddy. With these machines, the crop is harvested but the stubble is left in the fields. Removing the stubble after the paddy is out of the fields is not beneficial for the farmer in any way, so he adopts an easy solution by burning it in the fields itself. To avoid this, if harvester machines are developed that remove the stubble from the field while harvesting paddy, then the stubble can be a source of additional income for the farmers.
• Provide information to farmers about stubble and other agricultural residues. Encourage scientific use. The government should announce some economic benefits to encourage farmers to use stubble to make manure rather than burning it.
• If farmers stop burning stubble and start using them scientifically, then they will get economic benefits as well as reduce the cost of fertilizers in the fields. Burning stubble in the field kills beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms living in the soil. This can be avoided.

Today many startups have come forward to inform the farmers about such scientific methods and increase their yield. One of them is Bijak. Bijak is India’s No. 1 Agri-Trading App. It has created many features and digital solutions to make the lives of farmers and mandis workers easier. One of them is ChargeERP.

ChargeERP is committed to making life easier for the people involved in mandi accounting by reducing the time taken in mandi accounting and reducing mistakes. ChargeERP not only makes the business easier but also gives time to the commission agent to have a personal life. From time to time, the ChargeERP team updates their software according to the requirements of the commission agent, so that they can get everything they need on a single platform. This is the reason behind people’s trust in it.

ChargeERP is the solution

ChargeERP accounting software has been designed keeping in mind the daily interactions of commission agents in agricultural mandis. It is a cloud-based accounting software introduced with the core aim of reducing the agent’s workload. ChargeERP is the easiest, fastest and most secure mandi accounting software available in India. One of the many benefits of this platform is that it can be accessed from anywhere and from multiple devices. It provides data security with end-to-end encryption. Plus, it doesn’t require any kind of technical or accounting expertise.

If you are looking to explore more about this next-level accounting software, feel free to dial +91 9311341199 or visit www.chargeerp.com, and request your free demo today. We also suggest that you follow us on Facebook for regular updates. You can also view the latest instructional videos on the ChargeERP YouTube channel.