Vendors at Tsangano Market in Ntcheu have hailed a biogas project for contributing to the improvement of waste management and sanitation at the market.
With financial support from the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST), Green Impact Technologies (GIT) installed a biogas plant at the market to, among others, address the problem of poor waste disposal, which posed serious health risks to the vendors and their customers.
Speaking when members of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Technology visited the site on Wednesday, chairperson of the market committee, James Mapondera, said the project has contributed significantly to the improvement of sanitation and hygiene at the market.
“This market produces one tonne of organic waste everyday. Unfortunately, we have had no sustainable way of managing it and this led to the deterioration of the conditions of this market,” said Mapondera.
The chairperson of the vendors added that the project is producing organic fertilizers, which farmers from the surrounding communities are using in their fields.
Mapondera said use of the organic fertilizers will help in reviving and boosting soil health thereby increasing agricultural production and productivity.
“Already, the farmers that have bought and applied organic fertilizers on their fields are realising increased production. We believe that with the passage of time, farmers from this area will not need chemical fertilizers in their fields,” he narrated.
Member of Parliament for Thyolo North Constituency and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Ephraim Nayeja, expressed gratitude to the Commission for organizing the visit.
Nayeja said the tour to the site helped them to appreciate what innovators are doing in their efforts to contribute to the national development.
“We have appreciated for ourselves how this project is helping in protecting the environment and saving natural resources. We pledge to continue working with NCST in promoting science and technology in this country,” he said.
NCST Acting Director General Gift Kadzamira said with support from Science Granting Council Initiative (SGCI) and other resources from the Science and Technology Fund, they pumped in K22 million into the project.
But Kadzamira highlighted inadequate funding as their main barrier to reaching out to many innovators.
Meanwhile, Nayeja assured that their Committee will lobby the government to allocate more funding to the sector.
