Punjab has provided Rs 1,325.35 crore for farm machinery over the past four years, helping deploy 94,456 Crop Residue Management machines and contributing to a nearly 90 per cent fall in farm fire incidents, according to agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
Khudian said farm fire cases declined from 49,922 in 2022 to 5,114 in 2025. The figures were cited while outlining the state government’s efforts to expand access to machinery that allows farmers to manage paddy straw without burning it.
The minister said farmers have already procured 22,763 Crop Residue Management machines for the 2026-27 cycle, supported by nearly Rs 201 crore in subsidy. He described the procurement as a 73 per cent increase over the 13,147 machines supplied during the entire previous year.
According to the year-wise breakdown provided by Khudian, the state disbursed Rs 279.96 crore in subsidies for 27,250 machines in 2022-23. In 2023-24, Rs 168.88 crore was disbursed for 13,179 machines, followed by Rs 259.81 crore for 18,117 machines in 2024-25. In 2025-26, the government provided Rs 415.7 crore for 13,147 machines.
The machinery programme is linked to the management of crop residue, particularly paddy straw, which farmers may otherwise burn after harvesting. The minister appealed to farmers to make optimum use of the subsidised equipment, citing the need to protect the environment and public health.
Khudian said the early procurement of more than 22,000 machines for the 2026-27 cycle would ensure that Punjab was prepared in advance for residue management. The government has also earmarked 75 per cent of Custom Hiring Centre funds for Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, or PACS, with the stated aim of improving access for small and marginal farmers.
Custom Hiring Centres allow farmers to use agricultural equipment without individually purchasing every machine. The allocation for PACS places cooperative agricultural institutions at the centre of the state’s effort to distribute machinery and extend its use beyond farmers with greater purchasing capacity.
The minister also said Rs 6 crore had been allocated for applying bio-decomposers as part of a large information, education and communication campaign. The announcement did not provide further details on the number of farms covered by the bio-decomposer programme or the specific implementation schedule.
The reported fall in farm fires and the continued expansion of machinery procurement make the availability, access and use of equipment key components of Punjab’s crop residue management drive. The next cycle will proceed with the machines already being procured and the planned support through Custom Hiring Centres and PACS.