Patiala, May 16 -- Punjab farm fire count crossed the 9,000 mark on Friday, with the state recording a 24% rise in the incidents during the ongoing rabi season compared to the same period last year.

The state reported 57 fresh cases on Friday, taking the season's tally to 9,043 so far this year. Last year, the state had recorded 7,239 cases during the corresponding period.

According to data compiled by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Ferozepur remains the worst-affected district with 875 incidents reported to date, followed by Bathinda (730) and Tarn Taran (704).

Last year, Punjab reported a total of 10,207 farm fire cases between April and May. The state recorded 13,420 cases in 2020, 10,100 in 2021, 14,511 in 2022,...