Awareness campaigns and access to shared farm machinery under a crop residue management (CRM) initiative supported by HDFC Bank Parivartan and introduced by the CII Foundation are helping farmers across various villages in Punjab and Haryana move away from stubble burning, according to a media statement cited by the source.
Farmers Adopting Sustainable Practices
Among the farmers who have shifted from stubble burning are Paramjeet Singh, who farms around 3.5 acres in Lamba village of Haryana's Fatehabad district; Gurveer Singh, who cultivates 9 acres in Chima village of Punjab's Ludhiana district; and Jora Singh and Manjinder Singh, who manage around 20 acres and 35 acres respectively in Majhi village of Sangrur district in Punjab. Their decision to adopt sustainable CRM practices has helped improve soil health and reduce stubble burning in their villages, the source reported.
Impact on Farming Costs and Practices
Paramjeet Singh, who cultivates paddy, wheat, and potato, used to burn stubble before the CRM initiative reached his village. HDFC Bank Parivartan and CII Foundation's CRM interventions improved machinery access through the local cooperative, and he adopted the 'super seeder' across his entire 3.5-acre farm for mulching and incorporating paddy straw directly into the soil while sowing wheat in a single pass.
The media statement said costs fell not just from cheaper residue management, but from a cascade of downstream savings — lower fertiliser needs as organic matter returned to the soil, reduced weedicide use, and better moisture retention that cut irrigation cycles. The cooperative model helped drive over 90% non-burning compliance by 2025 in Kawalgarh village's Ratia block of Fatehabad.
Gurveer Singh, a 29-year-old farmer in Chima village, was burning around 22,500 kg of paddy each kharif season. In October 2023, he learned about CRM practices through village awareness campaigns and society-level meetings. The initiative provided both technical exposure and access to machinery through local tool banks. Wheat sowing that had previously required burning followed by multiple rounds of field preparation was now completed in a single operation. Costs that had run to ₹2,000-2,500 per acre dropped to around ₹1,000 per acre.
Nearly 90% of farmers across Chima village, where the CRM programme has operated since April 2024, had adopted non-burning practices by October 2025, according to the statement, helping save approximately 887 acres of land from stubble burning.
Long-Term Adoption and Benefits
Jora Singh, who had been farming the same 20 acres in Majhi village for more than four decades, used to burn paddy straw and sowed wheat within a tight 15-day window. Paddy straw left after each harvest was around 50,000 kg across his fields each season. Renting machinery privately cost ₹1,800-2,300 per acre, and availability during the peak sowing window was not guaranteed.
Jora Singh attended an awareness camp conducted jointly by HDFC Bank Parivartan and the CII Foundation in September 2024. The CRM initiative brought the 'super seeder' to the village cooperative, allowing mulching and wheat sowing in a single pass within the same narrow window. He adopted CRM practices across his entire 20-acre holding from the outset. The residue management cost declined to ₹900-1,400 per acre per season, compared to ₹1,800-2,300 before. Fertiliser and fuel requirements fell as decomposing straw returned organic matter to soil.
| Farmer | Village | District | Land (acres) | Before CRM cost/acre (₹) | After CRM cost/acre (₹) | Savings/acre (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paramjeet Singh | Lamba | Fatehabad (Haryana) | 3.5 | Not specified | Not specified | Lower fertiliser, weedicide, water costs |
| Gurveer Singh | Chima | Ludhiana (Punjab) | 9 | 2,000-2,500 | ~1,000 | 1,000-1,500 |
| Jora Singh | Majhi | Sangrur (Punjab) | 20 | 1,800-2,300 | 900-1,400 | 400-1,400 |
For large holders like Manjinder Singh, who farms 35 acres, and Jora Singh, the programme demonstrates that CRM can work even on substantial holdings. The media statement highlighted that the initiative not only reduces stubble burning but also improves soil health and crop yields over time.
Implications for Commodity Markets
While the source does not provide direct commodity price data, the adoption of non-burning practices in key grain-producing districts of Punjab and Haryana could positively affect wheat and paddy yields over the long term by improving soil organic matter and moisture retention. This may contribute to more stable supply from India, a major global producer of wheat and rice. The programme's success in achieving over 90% compliance in some villages suggests that policy interventions coupled with machinery access can effectively address stubble burning, a persistent cause of air pollution in northern India.
Sources:
