• PHDCCI organized a Round Table Discussion on Stubble Management Solutions
• The social and economic reasons behind burning of stubble is needed to understand: K.S.Pannu

Demokratic Front, Chandigarh – 09       November :

Punjab State Chapter, PHDCCI organized Round Table Discussion on Stubble Management Solutions in collaboration with Stubble Management Forum, Punjab at PHD House, Chandigarh. The agenda behind organizing the discussion was to ponder upon suggestions and solutions to Stubble Burning, a major concern for Punjab, for the protection of environment, conserving soil nutrients and long term benefits to the field of agriculture.

On this occasion, K. S. Pannu (Retd.) IAS, Former Secretary, Agriculture, Government of Punjab discussed the significant impact of global warming on the environment and water resources. He noted that over 200,000 machines had been distributed to farmers to encourage sustainable stubble management; however, consistent usage of these machines has not been observed. Furthermore, he introduced his hypothesis of “ownership holding” and “operational holding” as critical factors in addressing the issue of stubble burning. Concluding his remarks, he advocated for conducting studies to understand the socio-economic reasons behind stubble burning, promoting water conservation technologies in Punjab, and implementing carbon credit offsets as a practical solution.
The discussion further centered on transforming Punjab into a climate-smart state, emphasizing that farmers are likely to adopt alternative stubble management practices only if incentivized rather than penalized. Attendees also highlighted the need for government policies focused on incentives to encourage sustainable practices.

Ms. Bharti Sood, Regional Director, PHDCCI initiated the discussion by highlighting the longstanding challenge of stubble burning, emphasizing the urgent need for innovative solutions to address this issue. She further underscored the importance of effectively raising awareness about the recycling of stubble, ensuring that information is communicated accurately and comprehensively.
Mr. Karan Gilhotra, Chair, Punjab State Chapter, PHDCCI deliberated on the widespread practice of stubble burning and its serious repercussions. He further emphasized the urgency of adopting appropriate technologies to eliminate this practice and safeguard agricultural sustainability.
Sh. Ashok Sethi, Director, Rice Millers and Exporters Association, Punjab addressed the issue of the approximately 20 million tonnes of stubble currently lying unused in Punjab. He suggested that stubble could be utilized as fuel in power plants and elaborated on the potential process to implement this solution effectively.
The round table was attended by Dr. Amardeep Singh Virdi Amity University Mohali, Mr. Malvinder Singh Malhi Consultant, Mr. Rahul Aggarwal Director, Intellecap Advisory Services Delhi, Ms. Poulomi Mazumdar Manager Intellecap Advisory Services Mumbai, Mr. Ashish Arora Director Data Leads New Delhi and Dr. Rakesh Joshi Director of Hindu College Amritsar. From the Secretariat Ms. Rimneet Kaur Resident Director Punjab State Chapter PHDCCI and Ms. Punya Bhatia Resident Executive PHDCCI took part in the meeting.