Micro-composting unit in Pallikaranai now has an organic vegetable farm

Manure from the composting unit is used, and a harvest of vegetables is expected soon, an official said

With the Greater Chennai Corporation taking initiatives to promote composting through its micro-composting units across the city, the micro-composting unit at Pallikaranai now has an addition: a vegetable farm.

The organic farm, spread over two grounds, has vegetables including several varieties of spinach and other greens being cultivated.

“The unit in Pallikaranai processes around 10 to 15 metric tonnes of waste on a daily basis. The Corporation Commissioner suggested that we engage with the workers in these micro-composting units and we then started cultivating vegetables near the unit a month ago,” said Alby John, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South), GCC.

While the farming is done on a larger scale in Pallikaranai, several micro-composting units in the south zone now have started maintaining small vegetable gardens. “Several unit offices are also among the places where smaller vegetable gardens have come up. Many of them use up-cyled utensils such as old plastic and steel containers as planters,” he said.

S. Baskaran, zonal officer, Zone 14, said that while they are expecting a harvest of vegetables such as ladiesfinger soon, greens such as spinach have already been harvested once in Pallikaranai. “We are ensuring that the farming is completely organic and only manure from the composting unit is being used,” he said.

The Corporation is yet to decide on what the next step will be, with regard to the sale or distribution of the vegetables grown here.

Meanwhile, the manure from micro-composting centres across the city is being sold at different locations across the city at ₹20 per kg. In the South Zone, the public can buy them at Porur TCG Park, Tirusulam Railway Station, Pazhamudhir Solai in Adambakkam, Phoenix Mall in Velachery, unit office in Adambakkam, Guindy Railway Station, Jeyachandran Textile Shopping Complex, Entrance gate of PDG Radial Road, Eswaran Street in Karapakkam and Pazhathotta Salai in Semmenchery, officials said.

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