Bathinda: Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday said farmers in the state had procured 16,227 crop residue management (CRM) machines during the ongoing kharif season, with the state govt releasing Rs 183 crore in subsidy to support the procurement of over 10,000 machines across the state.The minister said the govt is providing a 50% subsidy to individual farmers and 80% subsidy to Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), farmer producer organisations (FPOs), cooperative societies and gram panchayats.‘90% drop in stubble-burning cases’He claimed that backed by Rs 576-crore action plan for 2026-27, these concerted efforts had resulted in 90% drop in stubble-burning cases — from 49,922 in 2022 to 5,114 in 2025, earning Punjab national recognition for its crop residue management strategy.Khudian urged farmers to adopt scientific residue management using CRM machines to protect the environment, preserve soil fertility, and ensure long-term sustainability of agriculture.Khudian directed the agriculture department officials to ensure timely and smooth availability of fertilisers across the state and to strictly curb the practice of tagging with fertilisers, while ensuring hassle-free access to quality agri-inputs for all farmers. He warned that anyone found indulging in this malpractice will face strict action.He also urged farmers to adopt balanced nutrient management by utilising alternate fertilisers like TSP, NPK and SSP to maintain soil health and reduce over-dependence on DAP.The state has over 3.9 lakh metric tonnes of urea and 5 lakh metric tonnes of DAP in stock for the season, while the agriculture department is pursuing the Centre for timely and uninterrupted fertiliser supplies for the Rabi season.
