Firewood and organic fertiliser from wonder tree gliricidia
With Sri Lanka struggling to find cheaper energy sources particularly for industrial and home use, one area that is being strongly explored is the use of ‘gliricidia’.
Gliricidia trees
This tree is not only useful for firewood (branches) but its leaves are used to produce organic fertiliser.
The Business Times’ interest in gliricidia came last week after spotting a notice – “Gliricidia Wagaa Wiapaaraya– Biomass Suppliers Puthgaleeka Samaagama – Puttalam District Office”, at Pambala just passing Madampe on the Colombo – Puttalam Road.
Speaking to officials, Anura Siriwardena, company Field Manager, Puttalam district said the company, Biomass Suppliers (Pvt) Ltd (BSPL) is dealing with growing gliricidia using the stem for firewood to produce energy and the leaves as organic fertiliser – a part of renewable and sustainable bio-material. As an intercrop, an acre could be planted with around 1,500 trees.
Under a 20-year agreement, BSPL purchases the stem from all plantations that it has agreements with. In a one acre plantation every six months to one year an income of Rs. 10,800 could be derived.
Checking out gliricidia planted at Palugaswewa Estate, a coconut plantation of about 15,000 acres at Rajakadaluwa, Bangadeniya, BSPL officials – Ruchira Kurera and Mr. Siriwardena provide details in the presence of company CEO Jude de Valliere.
BSPL’s activities doesn’t disrupt the food supply chain, as the gliricidia plantation is an inter-crop while the other advantage is that it could be planted along the fence of any estate or land.
Launched in 2013 these plantations are encouraged in the eastern Kantale district and in the Puttalam district and eventually aims to encompass the entire country.
The company is on course to achieving its target of registering 500,000 farmers and land owners; planting one billion gliricidia trees and ensuring a supply of 15 million metric tons of firewood.
The production process is as follows: First the branches or stems are cut, dried and the pieces of wood pelletized and fed into furnaces and with that fire steam is produced to generate power. A pelletizing plant and a power plant are coming up in Trincomalee. Until this pelletizing plant is in full operation, massive supplies of the firewood are now sold to Brandix garments group at Polonnaruwa and Hidaramani garments group at Pudukudiyirruppu and to several other furnace users.
BSPL says that once the farmers understand the value of making fertiliser out of gliricidia leaves, this could replace chemical fertiliser to some extent.
Ms. Lucky Dissanayake, Chairperson and founder, Biomass Group Ltd, told the Business Times at her Colombo office that the company was incorporated in Singapore in 2012 and has three components – supply, pallet and power.
A year later, the Sri Lankan company was started while pellets production began in Trincomalee in 2015. The power plant would be ready by the end of this year or in the beginning of next year.
Speaking of the success of their project, she said that they first started ensuring supply and organised demonstrations on the benefit of this wonder tree. She said, “We are firewood – ‘dara’, people – ‘Api Dara Minissu, burning wood to produce much needed energy – electricity.”
She indicated that she is against chemical fertiliser and noted that people are suffering with various illness due to the misuse of agro-chemicals.
To get better results more chemicals are applied which is absorbed into the earth to pollute the entire underground water table. People drink well water and not from the pipe from most areas where water is contaminated, she pointed out.
Ms. Dissanayake said “What we do is to teach the farmer, that with gliricidia leaves organic fertilizer, liquid fertilizer and compost could be made and they are benefited financial wise and the country is ensured a healthy life”.