Subsidy to convert animal excreta to manure, power

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China will pay farmers for their efforts to generate fertilizer and power from animal excreta, Ministry of Agriculture said. Beijing is cracking down on agricultural pollution that has for years leaked into water bodies, angering Chinese residents.

The government will give farmers subsidies to build animal waste processing facilities to make organic fertilisers and manure and to install biogas plants that uses methane to generate electricity, according to a government plan announced on Aug 1.

The plan includes setting up recycling programs in 200 major counties that have livestock farms. The ministry aims to complete the recycling programs by 2020.

The ministry gave no details about the size of the subsidies, but the move could also be a big step towards curbing chemical fertiliser use and water pollution.

"We will help farmers fully understand how organic fertiliser can improve energy efficiency and the environment," said Zhong Luqing, director of the fertiliser department at the ministry.

China encourages farmers to make good use of animal waste to develop more clean fertiliser. /Xinhua Photo

Biogas technology helps in generating electricity. For farmers, power is expensive without government subsidy and biogas plants can save a major portion of grid-based electricity consumption.

Farmers doing research on organic fertilizer use will also get preferential treatment for loans, taxes, power use and land rent, Zhong said.

Getting rid of animal waste is a major challenge for livestock producers worldwide. Turning animal waste into manure requires land and time. However, in the long term excreta to manure projects turns out to be a profitable venture. At present, most of the animal waste is released into water bodies leading to contamination of rivers and lakes.

In China, rapid growth of animal farms in the last decade has exacerbated the waste disposal problem. Chinese livestock farms generate nearly four billion tonnes of waste annually, according to the ministry.

Chinese farmers will get subsidies from government to use clean, environment-friendly fertiliser. /Xinhua Photo

"We will strengthen policy to support and increase subsidies to support farmers to use organic fertiliser ... especially large-scale farmers, family farms and cooperatives," Zhong said.

The plan is part of Beijing's efforts to limit chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which have contaminated soil and water. China consumes nearly one-third of the world's fertilisers.

Beijing is planning zero growth of chemical fertiliser and pesticide by 2020.

Source(s): China Daily