‘Arrest Farmers to Prevent Stubble Burning’; Paddy Virus Hits, Cotton Prices Fall

On 17 Sep, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) said, the Panjab government must arrest farmers who resort to stubble burning to curb severe pollution levels in Delhi and the National Capital Region during the winter months. This is odd because over the last decade subject matter experts have refuted the role of Panjab’s stubble burning in causing Delhi’s pollution. In July 2024, National Green Tribunal member Sudhir Aggarwal categorically said ‘there is no scientific study directly linking Panjab farm fires to Delhi’s pollution.’ In November 2024, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said installing flue-gas desulfurization technology in 12 coal-based thermal power plants within a 300-km radius of Delhi could reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 67%. In March 2025, Union Minister Piyush Goyal dismissed claims that Panjab farmers are responsible for Delhi’s pollution, calling it ‘ridiculous’ to suggest stubble burning travels 500 km through high-rises and lands solely in the capital. The Punjab Pollution Control Board said on 19 Sep that the state government has flagged 663 villages as hotspots of stubble burning. The state has constituted a team of 8K people who have been deputed in 11,624 villages. The state government has sanctioned 15,613 Crop Residue Management machines for farmers this season. Since 18 Sep, the state police has registered 12 First Information Reports against farmers for stubble burning. Meanwhile, as flood-hit Panjab’s paddy crop enters its final ripening stage, farmers are struggling with two major threats—false smut and Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus. The virus has affected paddy crops in 11K acres in Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. Concurrently, nearly 6K bales of unginned cotton from the first picking of this season have arrived in various cotton mandis across north India. According to Sushil Mittal, president of the Haryana Ginners Association and owner of Aditya Agro in Sirsa, rates are hovering between USD 61-79 per quintal, while the Minimum Support Price in northern states is USD 88 (earlier coverage).