The company’s Biochar Initiative continues to benefit local farmers while improving air and soil quality
PepsiCo India has extended its Biochar Initiative, a pilot crop residue management program, to the Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana districts of Punjab as a potential solution to address the pressing issue of stubble burning in the northern states of India. This initiative will continue to work with more farmers in Punjab to better manage harvest residue by using furnaces known as retort kilns to produce biochar fertiliser through a process called pyrolysis.
According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), stubble burning in Punjab released 6.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases and particulate matter between September 15 and November 2, 2022. Biochar production and usage have the potential to reduce GHG emissions significantly compared to other forms of disposal such as heaping while improving soil health and water retention.
PepsiCo India’s Biochar Initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Through these efforts, the company also aims to improve the per-hectare crop yields for small and marginal farmers while contributing to global efforts to mitigate climate change.
Speaking about the initiative, Anukool Joshi, Director – Agro at PepsiCo India said, “Enhancing soil function and health using biochar can increase agricultural output and reduce expenses related to nutrient and environmental effects. In comparison to other crop residue management options, our preliminary data has shown increased net benefit to the farmers through the adoption of biochar.”
Today, PepsiCo in India works directly and indirectly with over 27,000 farmers across 14 states, sourcing 100 per cent of the potatoes for its Lay’s brand in India from Indian farmers.
Naginder Singh, an owner of the farm where PepsiCo India commissioned the first retort kiln, highlights the benefits he sees from adopting biochar: “PepsiCo India helped us to set up furnaces to produce biochar. After the biochar is prepared, we spread it into the fields that are ready for cultivation. I would recommend biochar to all farmers. Using it helps our soil and saves our environment from further pollution while reducing the use of chemical fertilisers”.
