Chandigarh
5 December 2024
DIVYA AZAD
In what aims to give a boost to sustainable agriculture with a focus on crop residue management through production of chemical free Fermented Organic Manure(FOM), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Sampurn Agri Ventures(SAVPL) and Northern Farmers Mega FPO(Farmers Producers Organisation) at Chandigarh Press Club. Northern Farmers Mega FPO (NFMF) has 12,000 plus associated farmers covering over 25,000 acres of land in more than 250 villages in Punjab, Haryana, HP and nearby areas of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.
After the MoU signing ceremony senior officials from SAVPL and NFMF briefed the media about the salient features of the MoU and how it can present a model that can solve stubble burning and resultant problems.
MD of Sampurn Agri Ventures, which is the world’s first organisation to manufacture Fermented Organic Manure(FOM) using paddy straw waste, Sanjeev Nagpal said, “The transformative partnership aims to address pressing challenges in North India, including air pollution being caused by stubble burning, deteriorating soil health, and declining agricultural productivity, while fostering climate resilience and economic empowerment in the farm sector.”
It is to be noted that air quality in North India, especially Punjab, has reached hazardous levels due to smog caused by stubble burning. Punjab alone produces 50 million tons of crop residue annually, 70 percent of which is either burnt or wasted, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation. What’s more, the largest greenhouse gas emission is coming from the agriculture sector – mainly from biomass residue and composting of biomass. This produces methane gas which is 20 times more harmful as compared to CO2.
Nagpal added, “One the most important steps required for mitigating global warming is safe handling of biodegradable biomass and processing this for making Compressed Bio Gas(CBG) and FOM.”
Ajay Malik – Director Northern Farmers Mega FPO said, “This collaboration envisions utilizing the vast biomass resource produced sustainably. The farmers stand to gain as they will be paid for the paddy straw which will be used for manufacturing FOM. In the long term farmers through use of FOM can minimize the use of urea and DAP, thereby lowering their input costs. This model is also slated to improve the quality of agri-produce.”
Shedding light on the importance of using FOM Dr Neha Sharma, Principal Scientist, SAVPL, said, “FOM is also rich in Delftia sp which has the potential of nitrogen fixation and has phytohormones and these reduce requirement of urea application. Delftia sp is also capable of degrading multiple organic pollutants.”
She added, “The loss of ‘Soluble Silica’ in the soil due to stubble burning has given rise to Silica deficiency in humans as they consume crops produced in Silica deficient soil. This reduces their immune response towards viruses and pathogens. Agriculture based on the use of FOM produces Silica rich agri-produce which in turn makes humans healthier.”
An organic farming expert Komal Jaiswal who is the Founder of ‘Greenaffair’, said, “We are training housewives on sustainable kitchen gardening techniques. FOM can be used by not just farmers but even urban households in cities like Chandigarh. FOM is a better quality manure as compared to unprocessed manure as it is hygienic, sterlised and has compatible soil microbes to support plants.”
Nagpal, added, “By promoting FOM from paddy straw, the MoU collaboration will leverage biomass residue to also produce compressed biogas (CBG) apart from high-quality manure, addressing multiple issues including reduction in methane and CO2 emissions, with the aim to finally end residue stubble burning.”
“FOM helps increase organic carbon in the soil. With every 1% increase in soil organic carbon, 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions can be reduced per acre,” said Nagpal.
Ajay Malik added, “The Government of India (GoI) is actively supporting CBG projects to manage biomass waste scientifically, produce green fuel, and ensure food security. This MoU aligns with national goals of climate change mitigation and energy security.”
Nagpal concluded, “I call upon residents of cities in North India particularly the Chandigarh capital region to adopt FOM for gardening. I feel that when farmers realise the benefits of produce grown using FOM they will adopt it en masse. Residents should also patronise buying agri-produce grown by farmers using FOM. This will create a circular economy and in the final leg we will connect farmers directly to consumers.”
