Karnal: Nearly 200 custom hiring centres (CHCs) have helped supply around 15,000 metric tons of paddy straw to the Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s (IOCL) ethanol plant in Panipat. Each CHC involves groups of 10-15 farmers in each district, demonstrating an effective model for paddy straw management. To streamline the collection process, six collection yards have been set up in Karnal district where processed crop residue is stored before being sent to the plant.
Karnal’s Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has set a goal of providing 1 lakh metric tons of stubble bundles to the IOCL plant. The corporation offers a rate of Rs 1,900 per ton to either the CHCs or individual farmers for this purpose.
As per news report by The Tribune, Dr Wazir Singh, Deputy Director of Agriculture in Karnal, outlined the department’s broader objectives: “We have set a target to manage nearly 2 lakh MT of paddy straw through in situ methods and 5.5 lakh MT through ex situ methods. About 1 lakh MT is used as fodder. We will provide 1 lakh MT of paddy stubble to the IOCL, Panipat, which will be generated through ex situ. Nearly 200 CHCs have provided 15,000 MT of paddy. The remaining will also be supplied soon. We have set up paddy straw collection centres for IOCL at Bandrala, Amupur, Agondh, Bhambarehri, Jamalpur and other places.”
Dr Singh also explained that CHCs and farmers bring the stubble bundles to these centres, with IOCL transferring payments directly to the farmers’ accounts.
Karnal district has 5.6 lakh acres of cultivable land, with 5.25 lakh acres currently under crops, of which 4.25 lakh acres are dedicated to paddy, including 1.5 lakh acres for basmati rice. The paddy crops produce approximately 8.5 lakh metric tons of straw, with 3 lakh metric tons from basmati and 5.5 lakh metric tons from non-basmati varieties.
