PressCane in fertiliser making project
PressCane, an ethanol distillery company, has revealed plans to start manufacturing fertiliser from effluent produced from the sugar mill process.
This has raised hopes that the constant bad smell around the dumping sites and parts of Chikwawa district due to the by product will end.
The company, which has been under fire from traditional leaders and people of the district for not adhering to the environmental requirements when dumping the residues, has said plans to start making fertiliser are at an advanced stage.
PressCane out grower unit development manager Connex Chilangwe in an interview confirmed that the company will start making fertiliser next year.
“There have been concerns from residents of some parts of Chikwawa and the surrounding areas on the smell produced by the company due to the effluent produced from the sugar mill process.
“It is, therefore, on the back of this that we thought of setting up fertiliser-making plant having exploited other uses of the by-product to end the smell,” he said, adding that the product, which has potassium will be ideal for all types of crops.
“Once this machine is fully functional and planted, people should not only expect no smell around the site but also good soil fertility,” said Chilangwe.
However, some residents affected by the smell are cautious.
A resident of Village Head Mwita in Traditional Authority (T/A) Katunga, Carolyn Kumbuyo, while commending the company for the development, urged the ethanol producing company to live by its word and ensure that development benefits residents of the area who have for so long been victims of the smell. n
