Trained at Punjab govt camps, farmer leads drive against stubble fires

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, November 20

Sandeep Saharan, a 31-year-old farmer of Ruherianwali village, has emerged as a role model for others. A graduate, he has been farming for the past six years.

In the recent past, burning of paddy and wheat stubble has been a common trend but Sandeep tried to do something different. Having participated in training camps organised by the Agriculture Department for the past three years, he has refrained from the practice.

Sandeep says he started sowing wheat in the field with the help of Happy Seeder, a tractor-mounted machine that cuts and lifts rice straw, sows wheat into the soil and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch. He also used Super Seeder as per the guidelines of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department and this increased the yield by two to three quintals.

"I keep appealing to farmers to sow wheat by spreading straw in the field with the help of modern implements. By not burning the straw, we can help in protecting the environment," he says.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/35R4Etn