August 4, 2022
The Ministry of Agriculture, as part of efforts to reduce waste generated from the agriculture sector and in turn convert it to energy, will introduce the Home Biogas Digester programme as part of its development initiatives.
While handing over a home biogas unit to Mr Subash Chandra in Saru, Lautoka yesterday (03.08.22), Minister for Agriculture Hon. Dr Mahendra Reddy highlighted the importance of utilizing farming excess or waste from farms and converting and reusing it in meaningful ways.
Hon. Reddy said that the Fijian Government had noted that a considerable amount of waste was being generated from within the agriculture sector and it was an opportune time to use this waste in a positive manner.
“We note that there has been a considerable amount of waste generated amongst the agriculture sector and we want to utilise this waste in a positive way to reduce farm and household costs and reduce any detrimental effects on the environment,” he said.
“For this biogas digester we have launched today (04.05.22), we’ve got about $88,000 allocated in our budget for agricultural households where the farm waste will be used to generate biogas for household use,” he added.
“Not only will it be used to convert waste to generate gas, but also as a byproduct of the biogas digester, a liquid fertilizer will also be released which can be collected and used on the farm,” elaborated Minister Reddy.
Meanwhile, the Home Biogas Digester programme is now available online for interested farmers to apply and will be provided to 22 successful applicants this financial year.
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