Chandigarh, May 13 -- Punjab's long-standing obsession with tractors has shifted into top gear, with an unprecedented 34,000 applications pouring in for subsidised tractors under the crop residue management (CRM) scheme - a staggering jump from just 2,000 applications last year. The surge has reignited concerns over "over-tractorisation" in the state's agriculture sector, even as officials defend the move as essential for tackling stubble burning and promoting rural entrepreneurship. According to officials in the state agriculture department, the applications were received from individual farmers, village-level cooperative societies and custom hiring centres seeking machinery for managing paddy residue during the upcoming kharif (paddy) harvest season. Every winter, smoke from burning paddy residue blankets large parts of north India, especially Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, causing severe air pollution and health hazards. Farmers often resort to burning crop residue because of the short window between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing. The CRM scheme was launched in 2018 to encourage alternatives to stubble burning through subsidised machinery and scientific residue management. Punjab already has nearly 5.5 lakh tractors operating across its farms, according to government data. Agricultural experts have repeatedly warned that the state possesses far more tractors than are agronomically required. The spike in demand follows the inclusion of 50-horsepower tractors under the CRM subsidy scheme last year. Farmers can avail a subsidy of up to Rs.9.6 lakh on tractors costing around Rs.12 lakh, making the offer highly attractive. "Last year only around 2,000 applications for tractors were received mainly due to lack of awareness. This time, the demand has increased manifold," said a senior agriculture department official. The state government argues that tractors are critical because most stubble-management machinery is tractor-mounted. Machines distributed under the scheme include Super Seeders, Happy Seeders, Smart Seeders, mulchers, reverse ploughs and zero-till drills for in-situ residue management, along with balers, rakes, slashers and tedders for ex-situ management. Punjab Agricultural University vice chancellor SS Gosal said the university has consistently flagged the issue of excessive tractor density in Punjab agriculture. "However, machines for stubble management are tractor-mounted. If a farmer does not own a tractor, these machines become unusable," he said, adding that the university recommends one tractor for every 25 acres of farmland. Experts say even small farmers increasingly prefer to own tractors because they are also used for transporting grain, fodder and agricultural produce. Dean of engineering and mechanisation, PAU, Manjeet Singh noted that Punjab's intensive cropping system also contributes to higher machinery usage. Punjab currently uses around 4.5 kilowatts of farm power per hectare - significantly above the national average of 2.75 kilowatts. Officials said the demand has surged not only for tractors but for all CRM equipment. Applications for crop residue management machinery have risen sharply from 80,000 last year to nearly 1.8 lakh this season. The online application portal was recently closed, though farmers are reportedly pressuring the department to reopen it for fresh registrations. Officials said allocation of machinery will depend on the subsidy budget available. "Keeping in view the subsidy amount and quota available, it will be decided later how many machines can actually be distributed," said a joint director-level official in the agriculture department. Government officials say the scheme is also being used to encourage a new rural business ecosystem around biomass collection. "We are giving tractors to promote rural entrepreneurship as many farmers have started aggregating paddy and wheat straw to supply to industries as fuel," an official said. The Union ministry of agriculture has sanctioned Rs.576 crore to Punjab for CRM activities during 2026-27, marking the ninth consecutive year of central support to combat paddy stubble burning. Since 2021, Punjab has been sharing 40% of the scheme expenditure, whereas earlier the programme was fully funded by the Centre. Officials say that nearly 40% of CRM machines become redundant every year due to their limited operational life of five to six years - adding another layer to Punjab's growing machinery burden....