Apply now for Crop Residue Management subsidies, deadline May 12

Ludhiana, April 24, 2025: Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Gurdeep Singh on Thursday stated that the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department has invited online applications from state farmers for subsidies on CRM machines. Applications can be through portal ‘agrimachinerypb.com till May 12.

Encouraging the farmers to take advantage of the scheme, Singh said the state government is offering a 50% subsidy to individuals and 80% to farmer groups, co-operative societies and gram panchayats on purchase of CRM machines. He stated that last year, Ludhiana district recorded an 81.5% reduction in crop residue burning incidents, surpassing many other districts in Punjab. He emphasized that this was made possible due to the availability of around 8,000 subsidized agricultural machines and extensive awareness campaigns. 

Dr. Singh urged farmers to maximize the benefits of this scheme to eliminate the practice of burning paddy stubble in Ludhiana and protect the environment. 

For further details, he stated that the farmers can contact the Block Agriculture Officer, Assistant Agriculture Engineer, or the Chief Agriculture Officer’s office. Subsidies are available on machines like balers, rakes, happy seeders, smart seeders, super seeders, zero-till drills, reversible plows, paddy straw choppers/shredders/mulchers, crop reapers, shrub masters/rotary slashers, and super SMS attachments for combines. Terms and conditions are available on the portal, he added. 

Assistant Agriculture Engineer Er. Amanpreet Singh Ghai mentioned that the farmers must provide scanned copies of their Aadhar card, passport-size photo, and Scheduled Caste certificate (if applicable) while applying. For farmer groups, cooperative societies, panchayats, and other institutions, Aadhar numbers of members and registration certificates are mandatory. Applicants must apply under their relevant category to be eligible for subsidies.

Dr. Singh added that after receiving applications, eligible candidates will be selected through a draw system or as per departmental guidelines. Approval letters will be issued via the portal, enabling farmers to purchase machines from approved manufacturers or dealers listed on the portal within the stipulated time. He advised farmers to stay in constant touch with the Agriculture Department to avoid fraud and to contact department offices for any issues or assistance.