Punjab bans rice variety to cut farm fires by 50%

Officials in Punjab are confident that they can reduce stubble burning incidents by 50% this season by using a variety of paddy that matures faster. Stubble burning after the rice harvest contributes to pollution in Delhi during the winter months. However, the number of harvest remnant fires in Punjab is currently almost double that of the last two years. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has banned the Pusa44 variety of rice, which has a longer maturation period and higher water consumption. Farmers, however, argue that this ban will lead to financial losses.