Perceived Constraints in Adoption of Paddy Straw Management Techniques Among Farmers of Punjab State

Punjab state considers as a major rice growing region of India. Due to monoculture large number of about 16-17 MT rice residue is produced and most of it is burnt in the fields each year prior to wheat sowing. Government programmes, research institutions have been promoting alternate methods of paddy straw management and framing several policies and disseminating them with the help of extension personnel for the wider adoption of these technologies but there are problems which are faced by the farmers. The constraints regarding adoption of innovative PSM technology was divided into management, economic and financial, regarding domestic use and policy framework. The results had shown that the major management constraint was interference of straw with tillage and seedling operations in adopted villages and non-adopted villages. The major economic and financial constraints were higher labour wages and high cost involved in straw removing from the field in adopted and non-adopted villages. The problem of poor fuel at higher temperature was major problem with domestic use and uneven distribution of CRM implements was major policy framework problem faced by farmers of both adopted and non-adopted villages. The study also focussed on the problems faced by the farmers in using particular paddy straw management technology under which, hindrance on sowing operations of wheat due to use of Happy seeder, effect of wind on wheat crop when sown by using rotavatar, low efficiency of mulcher on moist soil, and lack of efficiency of MB plough on the mulched soil were major constraints as perceived by the farmers.