Impact Of Agriculture Subsidies On Air Pollution

Table of Contents

The news

The ‘Pusa Decomposer’
- There seven strains of fungi which are packed into four capsules, which cost about Rs 20 per pack.
- A fungi-based liquid solution is made that can soften hard stubble to the extent that it can be easily mixed with soil in the field to act as compost.
- This would then rule out the need to burn the stubble, and also help in retaining the essential microbes and nutrients in soil that are otherwise damaged when the residue is burned.
Our response is simply post facto..!!
What about the factors that contribute before?

Agriculture’s contribution to air pollution runs even deeper than what happens between crop seasons.
- The Indo-Gangetic plain is also one of the world’s largest and rapidly- growing ammonia hotspots.

The atmospheric ammonia breaks down into fine ammonium salt particles that degrade the quality of the air we breathe, further harming human health and life expectancy.
Excess ammonia in the environment also contributes to the acidification and eutrophication.

Too Much policy attention has been focused on how to change the disposal of paddy stubble..!!
What about the current system of subsidies?

Fertiliser, particularly urea in granular form, is highly subsidised.
It is one of the cheapest forms of nitrogen-based fertiliser, easy to store and easy to transport, but it is also one of the first to “volatilise,” or release ammonia into the air.