Kaithal (Haryana): At a time when stubble burning issue has become a headache for the government, a farmer hailing from Majra village of Haryana's Kaithal district has solved the problem in an eco-friendly way.
The 32-year-old man named Virendra Yadav has proven that scientific stubble management is both environment-friendly and lucrative.
Yadav has not only earned Rs 2 crore from stubble management in his village and nearby places but also provided employment to about 200 youth through this work.
Prior to this, Virendra had worked for 8 years in Australia. Due to several unavoidable circumstances, he had to return home in the year 2015.
Upon returning home, he decided to do something with his farmland and found such a suitable alternative that helped him convert stubble management into a business venture.
According to state agricultural officials, this is a profitable deal for the farmers. They have also claimed that this technique will prove to be a profitable deal for farmers in the coming days.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Yadav said, "When I discovered that the stubble could be sold, I involved in this project. My daughters also developed an allergy due to stubble burning problems. When I contacted Agro Energy Plant and Paper Mill located in Kaithal, I was assured of being given a proper price for the stubble. Then I started working on this project in a more organised and planned manner."
"I procured three machines from the Agriculture Department. One machine does the work of cutting paddy. After this, the second machine puts the cut leaves into a line. After this, the third machine straw-baler makes bundles out of the stubble. Then these bundles are loaded in a tractor trolley and handed over to the paper mill," he said.
"During the two-month paddy season, I made 70 thousand quintal straw bundles from three thousand acres. At the rate of Rs 135 per quintal, 50 thousand quintals of stubble were sold at Sukhbir Agro Energy Plant in village Kangthali of Kaithal. 10 thousand quintals of stubble have been sent to Sanson Paper Mill of Pihowa; and furthermore, an agreement has been signed with the same paper mill to send an additional 10 thousand quintal of stubble in December and January. In this season, so far, he has done a business of 94 lakh 50 thousand rupees. If we remove expenses incurred from this amount, then my net profit comes to 50 lakh rupees," he added.
"My father was in the animal husbandry department and he guided me. We only had an acre of land and this was not enough for survival. Acting on their advice, I decided to procure four balers and bought two more later with the subsidy provided by the agriculture department," he further added.
ALSO READ: 'Better if Haryana, Punjab make independent capitals, benches of HC'
