The simple economics of clean air
Public auctions to sell machines that weed out crop residue at a subsidised rate could help stop stubble burning. It will cost the agriculture ministry a fraction of its annual budget
(By E. Somanathan and Ridhima Gupta)
By now, everyone in north-western India (and northern Pakistan) knows that one of the main reasons they are choking on smog is the burning of residue from the rice crop by farmers. Some people have also heard of the Happy Seeder, a machine whose use can do away with the need to burn residue. It fits onto a tractor and is capable of planting wheat without getting jammed by residue leftover after the rice harvest. What people don’t know is that the cost of producing enough of the machines to eliminate burning entirely is very low.
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