FPOs & Rural Enterprises

With large-scale agricultural activities underway in our country, massive amounts of farm waste consisting of roots, stubble, and stalks are generated every year. Seasonal farming has a very short time interval, so fields must be cleared as soon as possible to fit in as many crop cycles as possible to improve the yearly yield from the land.

Farmers tend to clear the fields of agricultural waste by setting it alight, causing air pollution and soil degradation. There has been no real financial incentive to do otherwise.

Ironically, this agricultural waste can be transformed into briquettes and pellets to form biomass which can then be burnt to heat boilers and run turbines. Alternatively, a gaseous fuel called Compressed Biogas (CBG) can be produced which is a good substitute for natural gas and can be used as fuel for automobiles and in heating applications.

If this enrichment of agri-waste into biomass-based fuel happens closer to the source (fields), the transportation expenditure is substantially curtailed. Through focussed initiatives enabled through BiofuelCircle’s digital mechanisms such as Biomass Bank, farmers through Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) or any such rural enterprises, can gain access to the requisite knowledge, technology, and consumers, and set up agri-waste processing units in the rural areas themselves close to their fields. Such activities will significantly enhance the market value of the waste, which will now be sold as biomass.