East UP has vast potential for 'waste to wealth' value chain: UPPCB chief

UP Pollution Control Board Chairman Dr R P Singh said the state produces a huge amount of biomass, which was earlier dismissed as mere agricultural waste or crop residue

Uttar Pradesh, among India's top agricultural-producing states, has unlimited potential to harness its farm economy to actualise its 'Waste to Wealth' roadmap and contribute to a larger green economy.

 

UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) Chairman Dr R P Singh said the state produces a huge amount of biomass, which was earlier dismissed as mere agricultural waste or crop residue.

 

"On average, a tonne of foodgrain produces 1.7 tonnes of farm residue, which has a huge economic value chain owing to the biofuel supply chain," he said while participating in a panel discussion on 'Scope of Agriculture and Allied Industries in Purvanchal and the Need for Environment-Friendly Industries' at Business Standard's maiden 'Ubharta Purvanchal' conclave here on Tuesday.

 

 

Dr Singh said the biomass could be used in many forms, including as pellets for industry, as compressed biogas (CBG), and in small biofuel power plants.

 

He also suggested forming Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for collecting biomass from small landholdings and small farmers at the village level.

 

Praveen Gupta, director, Balrampur Chini Mills, said his company, which operates 10 sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh, has a robust business model that economises on the use of resources, including energy and groundwater.

 

"We are investing nearly Rs 3,000 crore in a greenfield bioplastics plant in Uttar Pradesh, which will be commissioned by the end of this year," he said.

 

The Balrampur Group mills have a combined capacity of 80,000 tonnes crushed per day (TCD), while the company also operates five distilleries and produces ethanol at scale for blending with fossil fuels.

 

Stressing the imperative of green fuel against the backdrop of the recent global oil crisis, he said blending ethanol, a sugar byproduct, with fuel provides a viable means to not only cut carbon emissions but also augment farm incomes.

 

However, he flagged the availability of farm labour as a challenge to the optimum growth of agriculture and suggested a higher level of farm mechanisation and the use of modern technology.

 

"There should be platforms modelled on ride-hailing apps for aggregating farm implements like sugarcane harvesters, which could be hired on a rental basis," he observed.

 

Besides, Balrampur converted ash generated at its manufacturing units into potash granules, which are returned to the soil and help agriculture in the long run.

 

Padma Shri awardee farmer Chandrasekhar Singh said the real transformation in the agricultural sector will happen only when farmers start to think and act like micro-entrepreneurs, align with industry and adopt commercial crops.

 

He also recommended forming FPOs exclusively for organic farming for a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

 

Singh said his long experience shows that farmers are keen to move away from the wheat and rice cycle and want to experiment with new crops and sustainable farming practices but resist doing so for lack of new markets and adequate government support.

 

"Purvanchal is known for farmers with small landholdings, and the way to address this is through forming collectives and cooperatives. But for that to happen, people must set aside their egos," he said.

 

Mithilesh Kumar, general manager, Bank of Baroda, stressed the importance of agriculture in regional economic development, job creation and exports.

 

He claimed that agriculture is vital for the domestic economy, contributing 18 per cent to gross domestic product (GDP), almost 13 per cent to exports and 45-55 per cent of employment.

 

"Bank of Baroda wants to become an agribusiness partner for farmers and support the agricultural value chain," he said.

 

Kumar said that while banks earlier primarily focused on services such as crop loans and issuing Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs), the focus has now shifted to assessing farmers' cash flow, which is more vital for a composite development roadmap.

 

"Today, agricultural allied activities are more important, while the government is also playing a proactive and supportive role in this context," he said while advocating the eastern Uttar Pradesh region as the potential growth and development engine of the landlocked state.

 

Lanka Ramesh, AGM, Canara Bank, drew attention to the comparatively small landholdings of farmers in Uttar Pradesh as an impediment to deriving the optimum benefit from the farm economy.

 

"The use of modern technology such as drones and artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture can mitigate the shortage of farm labour and boost agricultural growth," he underlined.