Stubble of discomfort

The solution, thus, lies in two areas: Bringing machines that do not leave behind such stalks (or can seed the next crop through them), or moving away from paddy itself. There is already an effort underway to do the first — governments offer cash subsidies for farmers to be able to buy or rent machines that can get rid of stubble or remove the need to prepare the seedbed. But this has hardly made a dent in the practice. Ultimately, it is still cheaper and more convenient for farmers to simply burn fields with stalks than rent or buy those machines.

This is where the SC’s suggestion — which included abandoning the minimum support price for paddy procurement that guarantees farmers a profitable return — holds significant value. But dropping paddy from the MSP basket may not be politically palatable. Therefore, a long-term solution could be offering lucrative MSP in other crops – the top court rightly suggested millet — to help farmers transition away from paddy. In other words, it is neither a matter that can be addressed by policing, nor is it a topic that India’s policymakers, citizens, media, and even courts can afford to talk about only when the situation has become unsalvageable. The crackdown, only in the second week of November, comes when most of the farms have been cleared. The answer lies in formulating a new, perhaps geographically differentiated, farm subsidy policy and associated law-making. And concern about the environment has to be a priority throughout the year, not just during October and November, when foul air starts to choke everyone in the Capital.