CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has demanded an exemption in GST on 10 agricultural implements used in crop residue management from the Central Government.
He has written a letter in this regard to the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
In his letter, Saini highlighted that the farmers of Haryana play a crucial role in the nation's food reserves, with the state being a leader in the agricultural sector.
However, in recent years, stubble burning has become a major issue, adversely impacting the health of the people. Given the seriousness of the issue, it is being closely monitored by the Supreme Court and the Air Quality Commission.
Saini said that Haryana's farmers are adopting advanced technologies and utilising the latest agricultural implement for crop residue management.
Over the past few years, both the Union Government and the State Government have been providing subsidies on machinery for crop residue management.
In 2024, there was a 39 per cent reduction in stubble burning incidents compared to 2023.
To further address this issue, the state government has developed an action plan for 2025, which includes a provision for a subsidy of approximately Rs 200 crore for the purchase of crop residue management machines.
The total cost of these machines is expected to be around Rs 500 crore, with an additional burden of about Rs 60 crore on farmers due to GST (12 per cent).
Saini has requested the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs to grant GST exemption on agricultural implements used for crop residue management, such as rotavators, disc harrows, cultivators, zero drills, super seeders, straw balers, hay rakes, slashers, reaper binders, and tractor-mounted spray pumps.
He emphasized that if the central government grants this exemption, it will encourage farmers to adopt technologies more widely, helping to prevent air pollution caused by crop residue burning.