DHENKANAL: Taking a cue from Kerala, the Forest department in Dhenkanal district has started experimenting with elephant dung as bio-manure from this year onwards and accordingly cancelled the annual tender for buying cow dung and other fertilisers for various plantation activities.
The initiative was started in the first week of October last year. Forest department sources said as of now, the project has been started on pilot basis at two places including the Kapilash Zoo and the central nursery at the district headquarters town.
As many as 45 compost bins have been installed for the purpose. The department is expected to produce 80 tonne bio-manure from elephant dung by July this year, which will be used across 2,000 hectare (ha) of land.
Vermicompost and other chemical fertilisers will cater to the department’s remaining requirement of manure, they added.
Commenting on the aim behind this initiative, DFO Prakash Chandra Gogineni said the use of elephant dung as manure was considered as an option given the large-scale plantation that will be carried out in the upcoming rainy season.
“Forest staff and contractual workers are following the process which was used in Kerala’s Koovappady block last year. They were given a two-day training at the outset of the programme,” he said, adding that subsequently, use of such organic manure will extend to 30 nurseries and 98 Vana Samrakshana Samithis (VSS) across 4,000 ha in the district, for plantation activities during rainy season.
For the year 2021, the Forest department needs 160 tonne manure, the tender for which would have been worth over Rs 32 lakh. Since 80 tonne manure is expected from elephant dung, the remaining requirement will be met with vermicompost at around Rs 16 lakh. This will reduce cost by 50 per cent and the funds could be used for other developmental purposes.
Confirming the cancellation of tender for fertilisers this year, Gogineni said the elephant dung samples have been sent to OUAT for testing. After assessment of its quality, the department will follow the process of the Kerala project, he said. Dhenkanal division has 222 elephants as per latest records.