TO INTRODUCE sustainable livestock farming practices, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 has turned a biogas digester plant worth over P500,000 to 10 farmer-households in Pinamungajan, Cebu.

The DA 7, in a press release, said the farmers will soon use biogas from pig manure to cook their food.

DA 7 technical director Marina Hermoso said the project is part of the commitment of Agriculture Secretary William Dar on food security and sustainable agriculture.

“This is a single step in attaining sustainable livestock farming in the region,” Hermoso said.

The DA 7 turned over the equipment to the Lamac Multipurpose Cooperative (LMPC) on Aug. 26, 2020.

The LMPC, as a farmer cooperative, will manage the maintenance and operations of the biodigester. Ten households were initially identified by the LMPC as the direct beneficiaries of the project.

DA 7 livestock program coordinator Zeam Voltair Amper said these households will only pay the LMPC P200 to P300 a month for the unlimited supply of biogas for their household cooking.

Amper said the biogas digester plant will utilize and convert animal waste (fecal matter) into a renewable energy and biofertilizer that will supply 10 households living within the project area.

“The fecal matter will be deposited in a digester which takes 21 days to process into methane gas by the microorganism,” Amper explained.

The biogas technology promotes the “waste-to-energy” program of the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry that can be easily adopted by small- and medium-scale farmers in the country. (JOB with PR)