New & renewable energy, science technology & environment and agriculture ministers discuss ways & means to utilize fom for agriculture & horticulture

Chandigarh, September 19:

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana will conduct a feasibility study on Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) for its utilization in Agriculture and Horticulture. This was decided in a high-level meeting chaired by New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Mr. Aman Arora, Science Technology & Environment Minister Mr. Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Agriculture Minister Mr. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal at Punjab Bhawan here on Monday.

Discussing ways and means to utilize FOM, the Ministers asked the 21-member Task Force, constituted to discuss and create an enabling mechanism for off-take of FOM, to work on every possibility of using it to come up with a permanent solution to stubble management.

Promising positive outcomes, PAU Vice Chancellor Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal apprised the Ministers that experts from university have already initiated research on FOM as an agro input and its impact on plant growth and soil health. He said that PAU would share an interim report regarding pros & cons of using FOM in agriculture by April next year after studying two crops.

Meanwhile, Mr. Aman Arora said that Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants are the best possible solution to check stubble burning in a scientific way and also stressed on creating an enabling mechanism for off-take of FOM generated from CBG plants.

Notably, as many as 20 million ton paddy straw was being produced every year. To meet this challenge, a CBG plant of 33.23 ton per day capacity has been commissioned in Sangrur and 42 more with a total capacity of 492.58 tons per day have also been allocated by PEDA. On commissioning, these projects are expected to produce at least 10 lakh ton FOM annually.

Prominent among those who were present in the meeting include Additional Chief Secretary New & Renewable Energy Sources Mr. A Venu Prasad, Chief Executive PEDA Mr. Sumeet Jarangal and other senior officials of the state government and CBG plant investors.

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