We are planning on making some manure in-house which should decrease some of our manure expenses. We went on a 'rice straw collection' spree last month and were able to gather 10 tipper loads (approx 10 tons) for a total of Rs 6000.
We have dug 8-10 pits which are going to be used as compost pits during dry season and as rain water harvesting structures in monsoon season. The pits are spread out across the land close to cultivation areas.
Conscious effort was made not to dig out fertile land to make these pits; there were several 'low lying areas' formed after removing bigger boulders. Using a JCB, these areas were made deeper.
Economics:
8L of Activated EM solution is required per ton of waste.
Expected Waste conversion to manure = 25%
1L of EM = 20L of activated EM = Rs 280
Cost of Input material (EM solution and Jaggery) = (8L/20L)*280/250 ~ Rs 0.45/Kg
Cost of Paddy Waste = Rs 600/250Kg = Rs 2.4
Total Cost = Rs 2.85/Kg
Compare this to various composts that are sold in the market for Rs 5-6. (Not to forget that a lot of places are selling sand instead of pure compost in order to increase their margins.
One of the several low lying pits that was converted into a compost pit/Water harvesting unit This is one of the smaller pits. The biggest one is close to 15 m x10 m x 2m
Everything is up for grabs!
And our workers attack the grub!!
Loading the final one..
A couple of loads of rice straw in one of the bigger pits. As of now, we have filled up 10 pits with straw. We will add EM (Effective Microorganism) for rapid decomposition of straw.
EM is nothing but a bacterial solution. 1 Kg of Jaggery and 19 L of water needed to be added to this solution and kept in a 20L can for 10 days. You need to open twice daily in the morning and evening (for 5 mins) to get 'Activated' EM that can be used directly with the paddy waste.
The last step would be to cover the pits with soil for a couple of months. Come summer, we should have some good quality, in-house manure!
More updates then..
We have dug 8-10 pits which are going to be used as compost pits during dry season and as rain water harvesting structures in monsoon season. The pits are spread out across the land close to cultivation areas.
Conscious effort was made not to dig out fertile land to make these pits; there were several 'low lying areas' formed after removing bigger boulders. Using a JCB, these areas were made deeper.
Economics:
8L of Activated EM solution is required per ton of waste.
Expected Waste conversion to manure = 25%
1L of EM = 20L of activated EM = Rs 280
Cost of Input material (EM solution and Jaggery) = (8L/20L)*280/250 ~ Rs 0.45/Kg
Cost of Paddy Waste = Rs 600/250Kg = Rs 2.4
Total Cost = Rs 2.85/Kg
Compare this to various composts that are sold in the market for Rs 5-6. (Not to forget that a lot of places are selling sand instead of pure compost in order to increase their margins.
EM is nothing but a bacterial solution. 1 Kg of Jaggery and 19 L of water needed to be added to this solution and kept in a 20L can for 10 days. You need to open twice daily in the morning and evening (for 5 mins) to get 'Activated' EM that can be used directly with the paddy waste.
The last step would be to cover the pits with soil for a couple of months. Come summer, we should have some good quality, in-house manure!
More updates then..
What is the expected cost saving you hope to realize by using the in-house manure and how much manure do you expect to generate with this process?
ReplyDeleteSiva - Check out the updated Economics section in the post.
ReplyDeleteYour calculation is for Raw materials = 2.85/Kg but market rate (5/Kg) is for end product manure.
DeleteHave you calculated (approx) how much Kg of manure was generated from this.?
My guess this weight will be reduced as half when converted into manure.. so in the end cost may be same.. But this is worth the try if we get the inputs as free or least cost :D . I guess 6k for hay is mainly for transport expense. :(
how was you experience in making in-house manure. Where did you procured EM Solution? how long would it take convert to quality manure? do we need to turn it again and again after spraying activated EM on dried straws? Did you mixed Cow dung or soil to this manure? we are planning apply the same process for maize straws.
ReplyDeletePlease provide more details on this.