Plan to turn urban garbage into manure gets govt nod

In a significant step towards converting urban solid waste into manure for farmers, the Union government on Wednesday gave its nod for Policy on Promotion of City Compost”.

The policy will allow Ministry of Fertilizers to encourage states and private players to set up plants in various places that would transform solid waste from cities into manure and sell it to farmers.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved Rs 1500 assistance per tonne for the compost being sold so that farmers can get organic manure cheaper than the urea available in the market, Union Fertilizer Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after the meeting.

This would bring down the price of compost from the current Rs 5,500 per tonne to Rs 4,000. Companies like ILFS and Kribhco are the major players in the compost business.
Besides producing compost with rich nutrients, the plan also help dispose the substantial amount of waste produced in Indian cities.

Fertilizer companies and marketers will be asked to co-market the organic manure with chemical fertilizers through dealers network, Kumar said.

Most of the nearly 62 million tonnes of solid waste generated in Indian cities go without recycling. Though about 1.5 lakh tonnes of organic compost is being made annually, the potential is great for the number to reach 50 lakhs.