Sunday Times 2
Fertiliser, fodder and fuel: Cultivate Gliricidia as a plantation crop
Glricidia: A wonder plant that provides solutions to many a present crisis
The objectives of this proposal are to achieve some of the targets specified in the Government’s National Policy Framework titled: Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. The specific targets covered in this proposal are as follows:
- Promote and popularise organic agriculture during next ten years
- Increase the domestic production of milk to fulfil the domestic requirement
- Assurance of energy security and self-sufficiency
- Identify barren and abandoned lands and utilise them for agriculture and forestry.
Organic fertiliser
For over a decade, successive governments have been heavily subsidising the cost of chemical fertilisers for the agricultural sector. Such heavy subsidy has resulted in the farmers overusing chemical fertilisers leading to environmental degradation of soil and water bodies and threat to human health. To mitigate these ill effects, the Government has decided to support the local production and use of organic fertilisers.
The drawbacks of organic fertiliser are its bulkiness and the the delay to convert the organic nutrients into a form suitable for plant growth. These drawbacks could be overcome by (a) grinding the organic materials into a powder form, after drying, to increase the bulk density and surface area and (b) digesting the powdered materials in an anaerobic digester (AD) into a slurry containing nutrients in a form readily acceptable to crops. The AD process also generates biogas, which could be used for energy production including dispatchable electricity without battery storage.
Attempts made by the authorities to purchase organic fertiliser from overseas have proved to be impractical for two reasons. Firstly it is prohibitively expensive. For example, organic fertiliser containing 10% N costsLKR 100 per kg. Also Nano Nitrogen in liquid form with a N content of 4% costs LKR 4800 per kg (To be verified). At these exorbitant prices, it is far cheaper to offer an attractive price for Gliricidia leaf powder which contains 4% N.
The second problem encountered in importing organic fertiliser is the danger of contaminating our soil with alien microbes which are invasive or pathogens. So we have no alternative other than producing our own requirements of organic fertiliser.
Milk
At present only a third of the national requirement of milk is produced locally. The balance is imported. The Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour policy document envisages to reach self-sufficiency in milk soon. The most important input required to achieve this task is to cultivate and process adequate quantity and appropriate quality of feed materials for cows. Gliricidia foliage which contains 4% nitrogen by weight may constitute about 30% of the feed requirements of cattle along with other feed. If necessary, proper varieties of cows from overseas may be introduced.
Moreover the price of imported milk powder is sky rocketing to unaffordable values. To prevent malnutrition among children, we should urgently increase the local production of milk.
Renewable energy
At present about 50% of our energy requirements are met from renewable sources such as biomass (36%), hydro (10%) and other renewables such as solar and wind 4%. Fossil fuel based energy accounts for the other 50% — mostly petroleum (including LPG) 40% and coal 10%.
With the onset of COVID 19 about two years ago, the prices of oil and gas declined due to lowering demand. With the recovery of COVID 19, the demand for petroleum fuel has increased. Also, due to climate impacts, funding for the coal industry has dried up. For these reasons, oil, natural and coal prices in the international market have reached the highest level ever encountered in the recent memory.
The Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour policy document envisages reaching self-sufficiency in energy while ensuring energy security. It has specified two other targets in respect of energy. Firstly, we are expected to generate 70% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030. Secondly, we are expected to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Biogas generated through AD can be used to meet these two targets conveniently.
Agriculture and forestry in barren land
In 2019, the Land Ministry’s Land Use Policy Planning Division published a document giving details of the availability of barren land in Sri Lanka. The Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour policy document gives directions to utilise such lands for agriculture and forestry. As the country needs large quantities of nitrogenous foliage to be used as cattle feed and to produce organic fertiliser, it is appropriate to plant Gliricidia trees at high density in most of these barren lands. Planting these trees at high density will ensure a closed canopy at all times thus qualifying these lands as forestry.
Action plan
Ratifying Gliricidia as the
Fourth Plantation Crop.
It is interesting to note that in 2005, the Cabinet of Ministers, realising the multiple benefits of Gliricidia trees, declared Gliricidia as the fourth Plantation Crop (in addition to tea, rubber and coconut). In today’s context, the role of Gliricidia trees is even more significant as it fulfils four important policy directions. The first action proposed is to ratify the 2005 Cabinet Decision.
Responsibility: Plantation Industry Minister
Institutional Arrangement
Since nitrogen is the most important nutrient needed for agricultural crops, and since organic fertiliser is playing an important role in agriculture in Sri Lanka as emphasised by the President, there should be a separate unit in the Plantation Ministry to supervise the Gliricidia crop. Moreover, an institution with the exclusive task of promoting the cultivation to Gliricidia should be established. This institution should have a goal to reach self-sufficiency in nitrogenous organic fertiliser as soon as practicable.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry and Agriculture
Short-term goal
As the first step, the rural agricultural communities may be used to establish Gliricidia trees in barren and abandoned lands, fulfilling one of the targets specified in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour document. Periodically, appropriate quantities of powdered Eppawela rock phosphate, muriate of potash (imported) and dolomite may be added to the soil where Gliricidia has been planted. This is to prevent the depletion of phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and calcium from the soil. Foliage from Gliricidia trees may be harvested regularly at short intervals (say every three months). Dried and powdered Gliricidia leaves may be sold as a commodity. Such leave powder may be directly incorporated in to the soil of perennial crops such as coconut, rubber, tea, cinnamon. Gliricidia leaves have necessary nutrients of nitrogen phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and calcium necessary for agricultural crops.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry and Agriculture
Medium-term goal
As a medium-term goal, anaerobic digesters of appropriate sizes may be established in the rural areas to digest the Gliricidia leaf powder and animal wastes. The slurry effluent from these digesters will have all necessary nutrients in soluble form. Such slurry could be applied to perennial and short term crops including rice and vegetables.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry and Agriculture
Long-term goal
In the long term, we should utilise the bio gas generated in anaerobic digestion to generate electricity and feed the national grid. Just prior to the ban on agrochemical in April, we were importing around 525,000 tonnes of urea annually. To replace the above quantity of urea, we require 6 million tonnes of Gliricidia powder. If this amount of Gliricidia powder is utilised in anaerobic digestion we could generate 2000 MW of electricity as base power (with 90% plant factor). In energy terms, this amount to 16,000 GWh per year more than the total electricity generated at present using all sources.
It should be noted that intermittent sources such as solar and wind require battery storage to make electricity from these sources dispatchable. Such batteries contain Lithium, an element which is very poisonous. Whereas electricity from bio gas plants do not require such battery storage.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Power, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority and the Ceylon Electricity Board.
Milk production
Gliricidia Leaf Powder need not be fed into anaerobic digesters directly. It is better to utilise such powder as feed to dairy cattle and feed the digesters with cattle waste. To do this it is necessary to introduce stall fed dairy systems rather than free grazing. Gliricidia leaf could provide only about 30% of the total feed requirements of cattle. The balance need to come from other crops.
Responsibility: The Livestock Ministry
Research Needs
Sri Lanka’s research institutions should conduct studies on Biological Nitrogen Fixation to produce nitrogenous material in a cost effective manner. These institutions should also conduct research to find ways of recovering all nutrients for our agricultural needs, perhaps excluding nitrogen, from sea water at affordable cost. There is a need for a Bio Refinery to produce necessary chemicals such as weedicides and pesticides, using biological materials.
What we need is Bio Technology. Not Nano Technology!
(The writer, a charted engineer and
winner of national scientific awards,
can be contacted via pgjoseph@gmail.com, 0716912480) A proposal to achieve self-sufficiency in fertilizer, dairy products and base electricity
By P.G.Joseph
The objectives of this proposal are to achieve some of the targets specified in the Government’s National Policy Framework titled: Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. The specific targets covered in this proposal are as follows:
n Promote and popularise organic agriculture during next ten years
n Increase the domestic production of milk to fulfil the domestic requirement
n Assurance of energy security and self-sufficiency
n Identify barren and abandoned lands and utilise them for agriculture and forestry.
Organic fertiliser
For over a decade, successive governments have been heavily subsidising the cost of chemical fertilisers for the agricultural sector. Such heavy subsidy has resulted in the farmers overusing chemical fertilisers leading to environmental degradation of soil and water bodies and threat to human health. To mitigate these ill effects, the Government has decided to support the local production and use of organic fertilisers.
The drawbacks of organic fertiliser are its bulkiness and the the delay to convert the organic nutrients into a form suitable for plant growth. These drawbacks could be overcome by (a) grinding the organic materials into a powder form, after drying, to increase the bulk density and surface area and (b) digesting the powdered materials in an anaerobic digester (AD) into a slurry containing nutrients in a form readily acceptable to crops. The AD process also generates biogas, which could be used for energy production including dispatchable electricity without battery storage.
Attempts made by the authorities to purchase organic fertiliser from overseas have proved to be impractical for two reasons. Firstly it is prohibitively expensive. For example, organic fertiliser containing 10% N costsLKR 100 per kg. Also Nano Nitrogen in liquid form with a N content of 4% costs LKR 4800 per kg (To be verified). At these exorbitant prices, it is far cheaper to offer an attractive price for Gliricidia leaf powder which contains 4% N.
The second problem encountered in importing organic fertiliser is the danger of contaminating our soil with alien microbes which are invasive or pathogens. So we have no alternative other than producing our own requirements of organic fertiliser.
Milk
At present only a third of the national requirement of milk is produced locally. The balance is imported. The Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour policy document envisages to reach self-sufficiency in milk soon. The most important input required to achieve this task is to cultivate and process adequate quantity and appropriate quality of feed materials for cows. Gliricidia foliage which contains 4% nitrogen by weight may constitute about 30% of the feed requirements of cattle along with other feed. If necessary, proper varieties of cows from overseas may be introduced.
Moreover the price of imported milk powder is sky rocketing to unaffordable values. To prevent malnutrition among children, we should urgently increase the local production of milk.
Renewable energy
At present about 50% of our energy requirements are met from renewable sources such as biomass (36%), hydro (10%) and other renewables such as solar and wind 4%. Fossil fuel based energy accounts for the other 50% — mostly petroleum (including LPG) 40% and coal 10%.
With the onset of COVID 19 about two years ago, the prices of oil and gas declined due to lowering demand. With the recovery of COVID 19, the demand for petroleum fuel has increased. Also, due to climate impacts, funding for the coal industry has dried up. For these reasons, oil, natural and coal prices in the international market have reached the highest level ever encountered in the recent memory.
The Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour policy document envisages reaching self-sufficiency in energy while ensuring energy security. It has specified two other targets in respect of energy. Firstly, we are expected to generate 70% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030. Secondly, we are expected to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Biogas generated through AD can be used to meet these two targets conveniently.
Agriculture and forestry in barren land
In 2019, the Land Ministry’s Land Use Policy Planning Division published a document giving details of the availability of barren land in Sri Lanka. The Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour policy document gives directions to utilise such lands for agriculture and forestry. As the country needs large quantities of nitrogenous foliage to be used as cattle feed and to produce organic fertiliser, it is appropriate to plant Gliricidia trees at high density in most of these barren lands. Planting these trees at high density will ensure a closed canopy at all times thus qualifying these lands as forestry.
Action plan
Ratifying Gliricidia as the
Fourth Plantation Crop.
It is interesting to note that in 2005, the Cabinet of Ministers, realising the multiple benefits of Gliricidia trees, declared Gliricidia as the fourth Plantation Crop (in addition to tea, rubber and coconut). In today’s context, the role of Gliricidia trees is even more significant as it fulfils four important policy directions. The first action proposed is to ratify the 2005 Cabinet Decision.
Responsibility: Plantation Industry Minister
Institutional Arrangement
Since nitrogen is the most important nutrient needed for agricultural crops, and since organic fertiliser is playing an important role in agriculture in Sri Lanka as emphasised by the President, there should be a separate unit in the Plantation Ministry to supervise the Gliricidia crop. Moreover, an institution with the exclusive task of promoting the cultivation to Gliricidia should be established. This institution should have a goal to reach self-sufficiency in nitrogenous organic fertiliser as soon as practicable.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry and Agriculture
Short-term goal
As the first step, the rural agricultural communities may be used to establish Gliricidia trees in barren and abandoned lands, fulfilling one of the targets specified in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour document. Periodically, appropriate quantities of powdered Eppawela rock phosphate, muriate of potash (imported) and dolomite may be added to the soil where Gliricidia has been planted. This is to prevent the depletion of phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and calcium from the soil. Foliage from Gliricidia trees may be harvested regularly at short intervals (say every three months). Dried and powdered Gliricidia leaves may be sold as a commodity. Such leave powder may be directly incorporated in to the soil of perennial crops such as coconut, rubber, tea, cinnamon. Gliricidia leaves have necessary nutrients of nitrogen phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and calcium necessary for agricultural crops.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry and Agriculture
Medium-term goal
As a medium-term goal, anaerobic digesters of appropriate sizes may be established in the rural areas to digest the Gliricidia leaf powder and animal wastes. The slurry effluent from these digesters will have all necessary nutrients in soluble form. Such slurry could be applied to perennial and short term crops including rice and vegetables.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry and Agriculture
Long-term goal
In the long term, we should utilise the bio gas generated in anaerobic digestion to generate electricity and feed the national grid. Just prior to the ban on agrochemical in April, we were importing around 525,000 tonnes of urea annually. To replace the above quantity of urea, we require 6 million tonnes of Gliricidia powder. If this amount of Gliricidia powder is utilised in anaerobic digestion we could generate 2000 MW of electricity as base power (with 90% plant factor). In energy terms, this amount to 16,000 GWh per year more than the total electricity generated at present using all sources.
It should be noted that intermittent sources such as solar and wind require battery storage to make electricity from these sources dispatchable. Such batteries contain Lithium, an element which is very poisonous. Whereas electricity from bio gas plants do not require such battery storage.
Responsibility: The Ministries of Plantation Industry, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Power, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority and the Ceylon Electricity Board.
Milk production
Gliricidia Leaf Powder need not be fed into anaerobic digesters directly. It is better to utilise such powder as feed to dairy cattle and feed the digesters with cattle waste. To do this it is necessary to introduce stall fed dairy systems rather than free grazing. Gliricidia leaf could provide only about 30% of the total feed requirements of cattle. The balance need to come from other crops.
Responsibility: The Livestock Ministry
Research Needs
Sri Lanka’s research institutions should conduct studies on Biological Nitrogen Fixation to produce nitrogenous material in a cost effective manner. These institutions should also conduct research to find ways of recovering all nutrients for our agricultural needs, perhaps excluding nitrogen, from sea water at affordable cost. There is a need for a Bio Refinery to produce necessary chemicals such as weedicides and pesticides, using biological materials.
What we need is Bio Technology. Not Nano Technology!
(The writer, a charted engineer and
winner of national scientific awards,
can be contacted via pgjoseph@gmail.com, 0716912480)