Elpitiya Plantations constructs Six Biogas units at Nayapane Upper Division for their dairy Farming Employees.

The management of Nayapane estate with the assistance of United Nations Development program (UNDP), Berendina micro finance and Estate workers housing cooperative society of Nayapane estate

constructed 06 biogas units of 7000 Liters capacity at Nayapane upper division.

These units could provide biogas for the use of small household of around five to six persons saving 1.5 to 2 gas cylinders per month with the cow dung and cattle shed wastes of two to three cattle, further the digested slurry is rich in natural nutrients for soil and is been supplied to the plantation to supplement part of the requirement of imported artificial fertilizer.

The project was introduced as pilot project to encourage the diary farming employees of upper division as an alternate source of income as well as to save on household expenses and a long-term retention strategy of estate employees for the plantation.

The slurry from the project is been bought back as organic manure the fields for improving the soil carbon levels of the estate which yields over 2100Kgs made tea per annuum and under the above project

Elpitiya plantations will divert part of the funds earlier used for procurement of artificial fertilizers to the estate to this diary project from a large fertilizer bill.

Further the project is aligned with the sustainability initiatives of EPP and their commitment towards UNSDGS. The cost of the project was approximately Rs 870000.00 of 489000.00 was provided as total grant from UNDP through Berendina micro finance.

The management of Nayapane estate acknowledges the assistance and guidance of Messer’s Chamila Delpititya, Gayan Subasinghe, from UNDP, Dulari Jayaratne, Gayan Liyanagama , Prasanna Saliya, of

Berendina, Priyantha Dissanayake EPP and this project was handled by Mr Kushan Senaweera, Sisil Rajapakshe and K. Vishvanathan of Nayapane Estate.