BANGKOK: Thailand must ban stubble burning by farmers to improve air quality, the head of a leading agricultural body said on Monday, after a spike in dangerous pollution left millions needing medical treatment.
Haryana has developed a comprehensive plan to tackle the issue of stubble burning during the upcoming paddy harvest season. The state has identified villages with high instances of farm fires, set up control rooms, formed enforcement teams, and introduced incentives to discourage farmers from burning crop residue. Last year, Haryana saw a significant decrease of 48% in stubble burning.
India is committed to ending crop burning this year, the government said, after agriculture and environment ministry officials met on Thursday to review progress towards preventing the major source of pollution during the winter months. Farmers in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh typically burn crop waste after harvesting in October to clear their fields before they sow winter crops a few weeks later. Smoke from the burning crops, together with traffic pollution and a fal