By Levison Lester
Lilongwe, May 11, Mana: Marketing and Sales Manager at EcoGen Malawi, Mphatso Gama, says a biogas technology aligns well with Malawi’s Agenda 2063, saying the technology manages wastes sustainably when it comes to tackling climate change in the country.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), Gama said many farmers can be food secure if the biogas technology is adopted in the country, as it produces fertilizer which has proven to be more efficient and affordable.
She also said EcoGen, which is a leading biogas company in the country, invented biogas technology to lessen the forex challenges faced when buying chemical fertilizers abroad.
“We targeted farmers after witnessing the chemical fertilizers’ price hike which affected most smallholder farmers. So this challenge reduced the productivity of farmers, thereby intensifying food insecurity. Our biogas technology produces a high quality bio-fertilizer which further mitigates climate change, as it has high nutritive content with the ability to replace chemical fertilizers and restore soil fertility.
“Through the production of bio-fertilizer, the Malawi Government can be cushioned on huge expenditures and forex issues incurred when importing chemical fertilizers. Promotion of technologies such as biogas can ensure a self-reliant nation come 2063,” Gama said.
She further said the energy sector needs allocation of more technological and innovative resources that will promote sustainability in addressing aftershocks brought by climate change in the country.
Gama added that the banning of charcoal use is not the best solution, saying the government should rather promote best alternatives like biogas that can work best in educating the masses and how such alternatives can be easily accessed.
In his remarks, founder of Clips Farming Enterprise (CFE), Patrick Jere, said transitioning to bio-digester technology is advantageous as it helps farmers to have bumper yields without spending money on buying chemical fertilizers, which is commonly used in the country.
Jere also underscored that bio-digester is a hygienic waste management system and that the bio-fertilizer produced makes crops more resilient to drought.
“Use of liquid bio-fertilizers is more efficient than the use of compost manure and more economical than the use of chemical fertilizers. Clips Farming Enterprise no longer uses any chemical fertilizers,” he said.
Meanwhile, EcoGen Malawi has so far worked with over 12,000 farmers and installed 500 biogas systems across 20 districts in the country.
