Chandigarh, Jan. 26 -- A Fazilka-based agro based company has procured a patent for manufacturing fermented organic manure (FOM) from paddy straw that will cut down the usage of chemical fertiliser. According to Sampurn Agri Ventures that has developed the alternative manure, it is more efficient compared to conventional composted manure as just 1 kg of FOM is equal to 5-kg conventional manure. Further blending the FOM with microbes can improve nutrient use efficiency, thereby reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides, it stated. "Another advantage of composting is recovery of biogas which can be easily converted to either electric power or vehicle fuel. One tonne of paddy straw gives 250 cubic meter of biogas and produces 450 kWh or 110 kg of compressed natural gas," said company director Sanjeev Nagpal. According to Punjab agriculture director Jaswant Singh, the FOM and its liquid form is beneficial for the crops and cuts down the usage of chemical fertilisers, such as NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). "Some farmers are using it and have found it beneficial in increasing crop yield," he said. The directorate has approached the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers seeking clarification on the sale of FOM and its liquid form via retail networks under the Gobardhan initiative. The Centre provides market development assistance to promote the organic fertiliser. According to the company director, to increase the availability of manure, there is a need to process all available degradable biomass. While manure produced by conventional methods of composting release methane, hence pollute the environment and add to the cost of agriculture. He added that methane is the most damaging gas for the plants. Although our soil and air have abundant nutrients, plants can utilise only when these are solubilised into mineralised form by bacteria or fermented. During the fermentation process, all elements are mineralised for the plant uptake. "Due to reduced microbe population in our soil, FOM is more efficient compared to conventional composted manure," he further said. According to an estimate, India produces approximately 1,500 million tonnes of agriculture residue (stubble) every year which is wasted and causes pollution, but if utilised, these can generate 57.5 million tonnes of compressed natural gas. To get rid of crop residue, particularly paddy stubble, farmers resort to burning it, leading to severe climatic and health hazards, killing organisms in the soil. Highlighting farmers' dependency on chemical fertilisers that damages soil's biological health, Nagpal said unbalanced nutrient uptake by plants has reduced nutritional quality of food. "Use of excessive urea is the cause of excessive pests and fugal incidence leading to excessive use of pesticides and fungicides. FOM retains soil and plant health," he added....