Surat: Surat’s Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) has become the first cooperative society in the country to commercially sell bio-natural gas produced from fruit and vegetable waste to Gujarat Gas Ltd (GGL).The gas purchase agreement was signed between GGL and APMC on Thursday for bio-natural gas. The bio waste to bio energy and food processing plant of the APMC was set-up in June-2017 at the cost of Rs 6.5 crore and the production of natural gas and organic liquid fertilizer started six months ago. Official sources said the APMC’s bio-energy plant is producing 2,000kg gas per day and about 1,600 litres of organic liquid fertilizer for the exclusive use in the agriculture sector to attain good quality corps. The bio-natural gas is environment-friendly and generates zero pollution.The GGL has laid a grid pipeline at the APMC’s plant from where the gas will be transported to its transfer station for the supply to the end consumers. Secretary of Surat APMC, Nilesh Thorat told TOI, “This is the first-ever agreement for purchase of bio-natural gas by a city gas distributor company in India. We have entered into the sales agreement with GGL for the bio-natural gas. A grid pipeline is laid at the plant, which is fitted with the meter. GGL has agreed to pay us the purchase price at par with the market rates.”According to GGL, the state-run company will purchase the gas from APMC in Surat and distribute it to users through its extensive pipeline network. APMC generates about 35 tonne fruit and vegetable waste per day. Earlier, the cooperative was spending Rs 5 lakh monthly to dispose the green waste, but now it is targeting to earn Rs 15 lakh from sale of gas and liquid fertilizer.

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