To meet the farmers’ demand for fertilisers in the country, the Bhutan Board Products Limited (BBPL) in Darla under Chhukha dzongkhag launched organic manure called Greenure yesterday. The project is the largest and first of its kind that will recycle forestry waste into nutrient-packed organic manure.
Generating five metric tons of wood mulch and wet dust daily for the past three decades, the wastes will no more be useless. The company will turn them into something valuable for the farmers.
The wood mulch is sieved, shredded, crushed and then mixed with cow dung to enrich the nutrient content of the manure. Currently, the company produces 1,500 kilograms of manure daily.
“Unlike others, who produce manure using faeces of animals such as cows, pigs and birds, we are making it with wood mulch. Our wood mulches have been buried under the soil for the past three decades. It is, therefore, very nutritious. I believe our manure is of high quality as well as one of the largest producers,” said Sherab Namgay, Managing Director of BBPL.
The company is charging Nu 199 for five kilograms of greenure and Nu 799 for 25 kilograms. The company plans to lower the price for those in rural areas. There are over ten people engaged in manure production.
“Currently, mixing of ingredients is all done manually. We plan to automatise the mixing and drying of manure in near future,” said Gayleg Dorji, General Manger of BBPL.
The manure was put on trial in Thimphu, Darla and Phuentshogling last year.
“To test the quality of manure, we sent a sample to one of the renowned laboratories in Kolkata, India. The test results showed that the nutrient content of our manure exceeded the standard set for organic manure,” said the Managing Director.
The manure-manufacturing unit was set up at Nu 3 M. The National Organic Flagship Project under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests provided financial assistance of over Nu 1 M.
If the product does well in the market, the company intends to expand its operation.
Sonam Penjor, Chhukha
Edited by Sonam Pem
