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As industry explores energy potential of crop residues, millers and intermediaries are set to alienate farmers from the value chain

- JITENDRA

WE DON’T have the money or time for cutting, baling and transporting stubble to companies,” retorts Shiv Kumar, a 47-year-old farmer from Taraori village in Haryana’s Karnal district when asked why he does not monetise the biomass from his field. Every kharif season, Kumar’s 2.5hectare field produces 10 tonnes of crop residues, such as stalks, stubble and leaves. These are important sources of energy, for domestic as well as industrial uses. Estimates show crop residues from Kumar’s field can generate electricity, sufficient for one or two households for a year. Yet, as soon as paddy is harvested, he sets fire to the crop residues. His decision is not impulsive.

In 2013, Kumar and a group of farmers from Taraori decided to generate additional income by selling their stubble to one soy extraction company in Karnal city. “It offered us ₹1 per kg. We rented a hay baler to compress the stubble and a tractor to transport the bales to its factory. But the rental cost was so high that we could not recover our investment,” he adds. While Kumar earned ₹3,000 over an investment of ₹22,000, those with small farms, incurred losses. Since then, neither Kumar nor any in the group wants to risk getting their fingers burnt.