CBG players meet CR Paatil to review GOBARdhan

The Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil called up an interaction meet with Compressed Biogas (CBG) producers and key stakeholders of the sector to review progress and gather feedback on the progress of the Government’s GOBARdhan Initiative. GOBARdhan is aimed at transforming organic waste into valuable resources such as CBG and organic manure.

The meeting saw participation from multiple key stakeholders, including representatives from the various stakeholder Ministries/Departments, CBG operators and leading organizations in the sector. This interaction aimed to strengthen collaboration and address the challenges faced by CBG producers.

Addressing the gathering, Paatil said, “By converting organic waste into valuable resources, we are not only protecting our environment but also generating employment and promoting health and wellbeing. Our government is dedicated to supporting and advancing this crucial sector to achieve India’s long-term environmental goals.”

CBG operators also shared their challenges, particularly highlighting the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and the lack of a well-defined mechanism for promoting the system of trading in carbon credits in the CBG sector in the country. The CBG industry talked about the excessive use of chemical fertilizers specifically drawing attention to the deficiency of carbon in the soil and the role of FOM (Fermented Organic Manure)/ LFOM (Liquid Fermented Organic Manure) in restoring this carbon balance.

CBG operators held that by promoting bio-fertilizers, this degradation in soil health could be restored. Accordingly, they requested for more Farmer Educational programmes in this regard as well as to look into the possibility of bundling fertilizers.

The CBG industry appreciated the work of Government in the sector and pointed out to the increasing number of people/entities who are now willing to enter this sector. They pointed out that the announcement in the Union Budget 2023-24 to establish 500 new waste-to-wealth plants was a major shot in the arm for GOBARdhan. In furtherance of the same, presently 113 CBG plants are functional, with 667 plants in various stages of development and 171 plants under construction.