Tribun, Maros - The Government of Netherlands through Yayasan Biogas Rumah (BIRU) provides assistance to a number of farmers in Balocci Hamlet, Benteng Gajah Village, Tompobolu Subdistrict, Maros Regency, to manage cow manures and convert them into biogas products.

Biogas may serve as a gas fuel to cook the foods on daily basis. At least there are 16 households in the hamlet which have utilised biogas converted from the raw materials originating from processed cow manures.

Coordinator of Yayasan Biru for South Sulawesi, Sitti Farida, said that rural areas in South Sulawesi have limited access for LPG facilities very much needed as energy saving fuel for cooking purposes. Meanwhile, the price of kerosene is fairly expensive.

According to her, converting cattle manures into biogas bring in the benefit from the environmental and cost aspects for farmers. This is especially true as it is an unlimited resource and biogas reactor is a simple concept.

“Cow manures may serve as alternative energy and assist the housewives to cook withouth having to waste their money in acquiring the LPG,” she explained during the programme launch in Balocci Hamlet yesterday.

She expects that biogas technology utilising the raw materials originating from cow manures will be applicable in other rural areas. “It so happens that in Maros the dominant farm animal is cattle, thus cow manures are selected for further development by the technology.”

Meanwhile, Domestic Biogas Programme for Indonesia, Robert de Groot, admitted, the programme had been launched in Indonesia since 2009. Throughout Indonesia, there have been nine provinces which are selected as the sites for programme application. Whereas, in South Sulawesi, the programme has only been launched since the last two years. (mut)