Why Stubble Burning Keeps Coming Back: Groundwater Law, MSP Incentives and Flawed Fire Counts
With the October to November paddy harvest, stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh is again linked to poor air quality in Delhi and North India. Punjab and Haryana together produce about 29 million tonnes of paddy straw.
An analysis traces the problem to a mix of legal, technological and economic causes: the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009, which pushed paddy later into the year; long-duration varieties like PUSA-44 (150 to 160 days); combine harvesters that leave about a foot of stubble; and a gap of only 10 to 15 days before wheat sowing.
Assured procurement keeps farmers tied to rice and wheat. Between 2012 and 2024, about 37% of India's paddy output was procured by the government, against 87% in Punjab and 74% in Haryana. For wheat, the figures were 30% nationally, 70% in Punjab and 63% in Haryana. Free or nearly free farm power adds to the pull.
Official data reported a 90% fall in fire incidents in Punjab and Haryana in 2025 compared with 2022. But polar satellites see India only around 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. A 2025 multi-satellite assessment of burnt area found a fall of only about 30%, and an ISRO-led study in Current Science (November 2025) found farmers shifting fires to the evening.
Haryana pays incentives of ₹1,000/acre for using crop residue machines, ₹4,000/acre for direct seeding of rice and ₹7,000/acre for moving to other crops. A Parliamentary Committee advised that penalising farmers be the last resort, and suggested a minimum price for stubble sold for off-field use.
Stubble Burning: Causes, Consequences and Policy Response
Stubble burning means setting fire to the crop residue (the stalks and stubble left in the field after harvest) to clear the land quickly for the next crop. In India it is linked mostly to paddy straw in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh between early October and late November. The fires release smoke full of fine particles and gases. In winter this smoke adds to the thick smog over Delhi and the Indo-Gangetic plains.
The analysis shows that stubble burning is driven by the 2009 groundwater law, long-duration varieties, short sowing windows and MSP-based incentives. It also questions the reported 90% drop in fires, because polar satellites miss evening burning, and argues for incentives and diversification rather than penalties alone.
Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009
The Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009 is a State law that stops farmers from sowing paddy nurseries and transplanting paddy too early in summer. Its aim is to save groundwater. Before the monsoon arrives, paddy fields must be filled using tubewells, while the hot sun evaporates much of that water. By pushing paddy planting closer to the monsoon, the law lets rain do more of the work and slows the fall of the water table.
The analysis identifies this 2009 law as the reason stubble burning moved into the winter months. By delaying paddy to save groundwater, the law squeezed the gap before wheat sowing, so burning became the farmers' quick fix.
Minimum Support Price (MSP) Mechanism
Minimum Support Price is the price at which the government promises to buy certain crops from farmers, so that farmers are protected if market prices crash. The Centre announces MSPs for 22 mandated crops (plus a Fair and Remunerative Price for sugarcane) on the advice of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The final decision is taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). MSP is not a law-backed right; real protection depends on whether the government actually procures (buys) the crop.
Near-assured procurement of paddy and wheat in Punjab and Haryana gives farmers a guaranteed income from this cycle. This discourages a shift to other crops, keeping both the water-hungry paddy crop and the stubble problem in place.
- Paddy straw in Punjab and Haryana: about 29 million tonnes a year
- Burning season: early October to late November
- Window between paddy harvest and wheat sowing: about 10 to 15 days; PUSA-44 duration: 150 to 160 days
- Paddy procurement (2012 to 2024 average): India 37%, Punjab 87%, Haryana 74%; wheat: India 30%, Punjab 70%, Haryana 63%
- Punjab groundwater decline: 0.36 m/year (1999 to 2009); NASA GRACE: 109 cubic km lost in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan (2002 to 2008)
- 2025 season: 31 CPCB flying squads in 18 Punjab and 13 Haryana districts; about 10,500 field staff in Punjab and 10,000 in Haryana
- Reported drop in fire incidents, 2025 vs 2022: 90% (official); about 30% in a 2025 multi-satellite burnt-area assessment
- Haryana incentives: ₹1,000/acre (CRM machines), ₹4,000/acre (DSR), ₹7,000/acre (crop diversification)
- Happy Seeder/Super Seeder need a 60 HP tractor; ex-situ cost ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 per acre