Ramrai/Jind: Haryana has witnessed a significant decline in farm fires this year, with the number of cases falling by nearly a third, as farmers are raking in the moolah along with the stubble.According to agriculture department data, 118 stubble-burning incidents were reported in Haryana till Nov 2, 2025, whereas this year, this count is just 42. The big reason is that farmers are earning Rs 7,000-Rs 9,000 per acre selling paddy straw this year, creating an economic incentive to avoid burning crop residue.Paddy straw from Haryana’s fields is fodder in Rajasthan, which is hungry for cattle feed. Raju, a private stubble purchaser who has established a large storage facility in Ramrai village, said he buys straw directly from farmers at a minimum price of Rs 7,000 per acre.
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“These are the highest rates for paddy straw in recent years and it’s fuelled by a surge in demand in Rajasthan to feed camels, goats and other livestock,” he told TOI.This emerging business has created new employment opportunities for hundreds of people in Haryana, he said, adding that labourers, tractor-owning farmers and those operating loading machinery are benefiting from the growing trade. “It has created a win-win situation as farmers are earning additional income, local people are getting employment, and the practice of stubble burning is gradually declining,” he said.Rajthal farmer Birender Bisla said stubble management has now become an additional source of income for farmers. “For the first time, we are getting such good prices for stubble. This extra money helps us prepare our fields for the next crop,” he said, adding: “It costs around Rs 5,000 — Rs 1,500 for fertilisers, Rs 1,500 for seeds and Rs 2,000 for tractor-related expenses — to cultivate wheat on one acre. Paddy straw price this year more than covers it. It’s quite encouraging.”Narender Pal, quality control inspector with the agriculture department in Jind, confirmed a substantial decline in stubble-burning this season and attributed it to a combination of factors — continuous field presence of administrative officials, strict action against violations, increased awareness among farmers and establishment of biogas plants that require paddy straw as raw material.Anil Godara, a farmer from Rajthal village in Hansi district, said farmers are increasingly opting to sell paddy straw because of the better prices available this year. Not a single stubble-burning incident has been reported in his village so far, he said. However, he pointed out that the attractive price of Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000 per acre is generally available when paddy is harvested manually, which itself costs around Rs 10,000 per acre in labour charges.Farmers are often under pressure to prepare their fields quickly for the next crop, forcing them to rely on combine harvesters, which charge around Rs 2,500 per acre. However, private buyers generally do not purchase the crop residue left behind after combine harvesting. As a result, some farmers resort to burning the residue.Nevertheless, Godara said that awareness among farmers has increased considerably. With better market prices, growing awareness, administrative monitoring and rising demand for crop residue, stubble is increasingly becoming a source of income rather than a cause of air pollution.
