Punjab outlines CBG for ‘zero stubble burning’ by 2030

Punjab has set a target of eliminating stubble burning by 2030, outlining a five-year strategy focused on reducing paddy cultivation, expanding crop-residue management and creating new industrial uses for agricultural waste.

The roadmap, prepared by the Punjab Pollution Control Board, covers the 2026-27 season through 2030 and has been submitted to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). It combines immediate measures for the current kharif season with longer-term infrastructure and policy interventions.

Punjab recorded 5,114 stubble-burning incidents in 2025, a 54% decline from 10,909 cases in 2024. However, the state is expected to generate around 18.81 lakh tonnes of paddy straw this season from approximately 31 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation.

Diversification and machinery

The plan seeks to reduce paddy acreage by 7 lakh hectares through crop diversification. It also proposes developing affordable, next-generation crop residue management machinery designed for small and fragmented farms.

For in-situ management, the state currently has 1,58,898 subsidised crop-residue machines, which are being used to incorporate around 10.15 lakh tonnes of straw into the soil.

The roadmap aims to ensure sustained availability of such machinery in proportion to the paddy-growing area by 2030.

CBG and biomass infrastructure

Punjab is also planning a major expansion of ex-situ residue utilisation. The roadmap proposes biomass industrial parks with common boilers and additional compressed biogas (CBG) plants capable of consuming 10–12 lakh tonnes of paddy straw within three to five years.

Currently, six CBG projects with a combined capacity of 107 tonnes per day are operational. Another five projects, totalling 37.5 TPD, are expected to be commissioned during the current financial year.

A further 46 CBG projects involving companies including GAIL, HPCL and BPCL are at various stages of development and could become operational over the next two to three years. As per reports, the CBG projects together are expected to consume around 2.8 million tonnes of paddy straw annually.

The plan also targets higher pellet production for use in thermal power plants, brick kilns and industries, alongside greater use of straw in industrial boilers and permanent storage depots for baled crop residue.

The broader strategy is aimed at transforming paddy straw from a seasonal waste-management problem into an industrial feedstock and reducing the contribution of crop-residue burning to winter air pollution in northern India.