Punjab govt to procure over 11,000 CRM machines to check stubble burning

The Punjab government has issued sanction letters for procuring 11,052 crop residue management (CRM) machines to help farmers manage paddy straw, said Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Tuesday.

Khuddian also said 5,534 CRM machines have already been acquired so far by farmers in the state.

Of these, 4,640 machines were purchased by individual farmers, 745 by registered farmer groups, 119 by cooperative societies and 30 by farmer producer organisations, he said in a statement.

He further said super seeder machine leads the pack among CRM machines, with 4,945 sanction letters issued for this equipment.

The minister said the department received 21,830 applications from farmers, cooperative societies and panchayats seeking subsidies for different crop residue management (CRM) machinery during the Kharif season 2024-25.

Khuddian also mentioned that 163 custom hiring centres have been established across the state to facilitate small and marginal farmers in accessing CRM ...