Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that pollution in Delhi-NCR could not be blamed solely on stubble burning.Speaking during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha, he said scientific studies showed that stubble burning contributed no more than 5 per cent to winter pollution, with industry and vehicles being major sources.“Still, acknowledging the harm caused by burning, the government provides a 50 per cent subsidy on machinery and 80 per cent for custom hiring centres under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme. Over 3.5 lakh machines have been distributed across Punjab, Haryana, western UPs and MP, significantly reducing incidents,” he added.The minister said Haryana’s model — offering per-acre incentives for in-situ and ex-situ management, crop diversification, DSR adoption and rewards to non-burning panchayats — has been highlighted as a best practice.“Stubble is being converted into a valuable resource for pellets, thermal power, biomass, bio-CNG and fuels in the state,” he said.Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the vilification of farmers for causing pollution must stop. “In recent years, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has often blamed stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and UP for the winter pollution crisis in Delhi and other parts of North India. Today, in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare stated categorically that stubble burning was responsible for just around 5 per cent of the pollution load. The vilification of farmers for causing pollution must stop,” he said in a post on X.Explaining the rationale behind launching the Crop Residue Management Scheme, Chouhan said that although stubble burning was an easy way for farmers to clear their fields for the next sowing, it has several disadvantages apart from causing pollution. These include the destruction of crop-friendly insects, loss of nutrients and organic carbon and reduced soil fertility. That is why the government introduced the CRM scheme, he stated.Chouhan also said the government had created an Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to ensure safe storage of farmers’ produce. He told the House that around 44,000 custom hiring centres, 25,000 primary processing centres, 17,000 warehouses and 3,000 cold storage units had been established under the Fund. The minister noted that post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables have been reduced by 5 to 15 per cent due to such initiatives.He informed the House that 152 Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) across the country are continuously working to enhance farmers’ income.Highlighting the government’s procurement policy, Chouhan said the government was providing MSP at least 50 per cent above the cost of production. He said India had overtaken China to become the world’s largest producer of rice, and that the country had achieved self-reliance in rice and wheat. The government had also decided to make India self-sufficient in pulses.On MSP, the minister said the Opposition had rejected the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation (cost plus 50 per cent) while in power, even filing affidavits in court. “Under UPA rule, only 6 lakh metric tonnes of pulses were procured in 10 years, whereas the Modi government procured 1 crore 92 lakh metric tonnes. Under Modi’s rule, there is 100 per cent procurement guarantee for tur, masoor and urad, whatever quantity farmers produce and wish to sell will be bought by the government,” he said.