Pr. Romeela Mohee, specialist in composting in Mauritius : "Composting if done properly will have a bright future"

Pr. Romeela Mohee has been working for 20 years developing composting in Mauritius She explains how composting techniques can help Indian Ocean agriculture and environment.

Pr. Mohee, what does "composting" means ?

Composting is the technique, which can recycle organic wastes to produce a material beneficial for agriculture. It is indeed a win-win solution as it reduces the need to construct landfills or incinerators to dispose of the wastes and also acts as a soil enricher to boost the yields of plants etc. Therefore, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides in some cases. Furthermore, compost acts as a carbon sink and is one of the best mitigation actions for climate change in the field of solid wastes.

Is it different to compost in tropicals ecosystems?

In tropical ecosystems, composting is very convenient as there are good temperatures which prevent huge losses from the compost piles and enable the composting process to work well.

Also, in many tropical ecosystems and small island developing states, the way of living is different from industrialized highly developed nations. And the characteristics of the wastes generated are very different. Normally, there is a lot of biodegradable, moist and dense wastes in island states and for these kinds of wastes, biological methods such as composting are better.

Why does composting fertilizers are better than others?

First of all, it binds nutrient in an organic form, which is more available to the plant and slowly released. Chemical fertilizers on the other hand leach easily to the groundwater and only a small proportion is used by the plant. Furthermore, chemical fertilizers are expensive and the prices keep on increasing. Also compost contains many other micronutrients beneficial to plants that are completely absent in a typical NPK chemical inorganic fertilizer.

What advantages procures this kind of fertilizer for tropicals cultures? 

Compost presents several advantages apart from providing nutrients to the plant. Compost also acts as a soil conditioner, providing organic mater and humus to the soil, enabling better aeration and promoting better root structure. It also acts as a disease suppression agent and enables the retention of water, which is very important in drought periods. Furthermore, in organic and bio cultures, the only input that is accepted is a highly stabilized compost and therefore this opens the agricultural sector to develop niche products such as organic sugar or organic vegetables and fruits.

Do you have some experiences to share about composting?

In Mauritius, we have been composting all kinds of wastes, sugarcane wastes, municipal solid wastes, market wastes, horse wastes, pig wastes, cattle wastes , green wastes, wastes from hotels and research institutions. In most cases, the wastes are not suitable to go to the landfill and have to be treated otherwise and composting is the simplest method. In some cases, we have been blending wastes to produce a high quality compost to substitute chemical fertilizers from an agronomic point of view. We have developed large-scale composting as well as patented a rotary composter, which enables the composting of around 100 kg of wastes, which is more convenient for households.

How do you see the composting's future?

Nice future in the world, especially in the African context where it addresses food security issues. Compost increases soil fertility and gives access to more crops being cultivated and therefore can increase access to food in a significant way. In Mauritius, we have the first national composting facility treating 100,000 tons of wastes per year and there are plans by Government for two more composting plants. Composting if done properly, gives a high quality product, which is accepted by planters, will have a bright future.