NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that a third party audit conducted by WAPCOS — a PSU under the Union Jal Shakti Ministry — has found the Pusa bio-decomposer, a microbial solution for stubble management, “highly effective”.
Centre should ask neighbouring states to distribute it for free among farmers, who were, according to the report, extremely satisfied with the results, said Kejriwal.
According to Delhi government, the auditors surveyed 79 farmers in 15 villages spread across four districts.
Ninety per cent of them said the stubble decomposed within 15-20 days after applying the bio-decomposer, compared to the 40-50 days it took earlier.
WAPCOS also reported that after using Pusa-bio decomposer, the soil needs to be ploughed only once or twice, opposed to earlier 6-7 times.
The organic carbon content in the soil increased to 40 per cent as the stubble ended up becoming manure.
The soil-nitrogen levels increased by 24 per cent, helpful bacteria content increased seven times, and fungal content increased threefold.
“Around 50 per cent farmers acknowledged that the bio-decomposer reduced consumption of Diammonium Phosphate fertilizer from 46 kg per acre to 40, and wheat production increased by 8 per cent,” Kejriwal said.
Last year, the AAP government had collaborated with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) that had devised the method a few years ago.
After encouraging results from a pilot project in Delhi, the city government approached the Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement it in other states.
“The commission asked us to get an audit conducted by a third party,” said Kejriwal, adding this is how WAPCOS was roped in.
He urged the Centre to push for this “unbelievably cheap” method, and confirmed his plan to meet the Union Environment Minister soon and seek his intervention.