Punjab farm fires acreage up by 4%: Stubble put to fire in 61% of total ...
(WorldNews India)

Despite the distribution of 50,000 stubble management machines this year and a fall in 6 per cent area under rice cultivation, Punjab till November 19 burnt stubble on 17.93 lakh hectares (44.28 lakh acres), which is 61 per cent of the total rice area. This year area under rice in the state was 29.20 lakh hectares (72.12 lakh acres) – 22.91 lakh hectares under paddy (non-Basmati) and 6.29 lakh hectares under basmati rice. Last year, total 31.03 lakh hectares was under rice including 25.92 lakh hectares under paddy and 5.11 lakh hectares under basmati. Total stubble over 17.81 lakh hectares was burnt last year which comes to the 57 per cent of the total rice area then. The data sourced...