Biogas Integration in India's Dairy Sector Promises Rural Energy Revolution
India's dairy industry is taking significant steps towards integrating biogas as a renewable energy source, as outlined during the World Biogas Association Annual Meet in New Delhi. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is leading these efforts with a focus on small and marginal dairy farmers, who play a crucial role in the rural economy. The initiative is designed to promote sustainable prosperity by creating self-reliant dairy sectors through cooperative-led models.
Biogas production aligns naturally with the dairy ecosystem due to the abundance of cattle dung in rural India. The NDDB is working to incorporate dairy cooperatives, gaushalas, and rural households into waste-to-energy systems. This approach not only offers clean cooking fuel but also serves as an additional income stream for farmers, supporting energy security and climate solutions.
The Manure Management Initiative (MMI) is a key component of this strategy, treating cattle dung as a valuable resource. Under MMI, farmers supply dung to biogas plants and receive payments, while the resulting bio-slurry is reused as organic manure, enhancing soil health and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers.
The NDDB supports biogas infrastructure across various scales, from small household digesters to large Bio-CNG plants under the SATAT programme, which provide transport-grade fuel and industrial energy. This layered approach ensures efficient resource utilization and spreads economic benefits regionally.
Dairy cooperatives act as energy hubs, collecting dung, distributing biogas, and marketing organic slurry, thereby retaining value within rural communities. This model encourages farmer participation and strengthens cooperative financial sustainability.
Successful scaling of the biogas initiative requires alignment with government policies, as evidenced by the NDDB's collaboration with central and state governments under schemes like SATAT and GOBAR-Dhan. These partnerships ensure feedstock availability and financial viability for biogas projects.
