Punjab Farmers Cut Stubble Burning 90% With New Machine

Every winter, northern India disappears under a toxic haze as millions of farmers burn leftover rice stubble after harvest. But in Punjab, a simple machine is proving there's a better way.

Vidyut Mohan grew up breathing the polluted air that descends on cities like Delhi each fall. He knew banning stubble burning wouldn't work because farmers needed a practical solution, not just rules.

So Mohan and his co-founder Kevin Kung created Takachar, a company that turns the problem into an opportunity. Their innovation is a low-cost machine that converts crop waste into biochar, a carbon-rich material farmers call "black gold."

The device attaches to a tractor and heats stubble at 400 to 700 degrees Celsius in a low-oxygen chamber. This process transforms the crop residue into biochar that enriches soil or burns as biofuel, creating a new income source for rural communities.

Each machine processes up to one metric ton of stubble per hour, making it practical for village-level use. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana now use around 3,000 tons of biochar annually instead of burning their fields.

The results speak for themselves. Stubble burning in Punjab dropped nearly 90 percent in a single season, showing what happens when technology meets real farmer needs.

Takachar goes beyond just selling equipment. The company trains local villagers to operate the machines themselves, keeping both skills and profits in the community.

The Ripple Effect

The impact reaches far beyond individual farms. Cleaner winter air means healthier communities across northern India, where toxic smoke has made respiratory illness a seasonal certainty.

Farmers gain an additional income stream while improving their soil quality for future harvests. Rural villages develop new technical skills and business opportunities that strengthen their economic foundation.

Prince William's Earthshot Prize recognized Takachar's work with one of the environmental awards known as the "Eco Oscars." The honor spotlights how local solutions can tackle global challenges like air pollution and climate change.

For Mohan, the mission remains straightforward: cleaner air, better income for farmers, and stronger rural communities. As millions of tons of stubble have burned across North India each year, this breakthrough shows the problem was never a lack of awareness but a lack of viable alternatives.

Now those alternatives exist, and the skies above Punjab are clearing.

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