(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- A number of farmers have praised the qualities of the organic compost 'Kala' and have urged other farmers to use it. Saif bin Ali bin Saif al Deghishi, from Samail, said, 'Through my experience of using Kala compost for several years, I'm confident now that this fertiliser has many advantages including the fact that no weeds grow when using Kala and it preserves the soil's moisture.'
He added that it is certain that, when using Kala, some vegetables such as zucchini, pumpkin and other crops cannot be harvested for several reasons, including the lack of suitable soil for growing such crops. However, I have observed that, when composting the land with Kala, the harvest of these vegetables increased.
'I use Kala to grow tomatoes, onions, garlic and radish, and I always get a good harvest, and I urge other farmers to use it, especially since it is an Omani product,' added Deghishi.
On the other hand, AbdulRahman bin Zahran al Abri from Bahla said, 'Kala is very beneficial for agriculture and weeds do not grow when fertilising the soil. Through my experience of this fertiliser, I found that Kala is one of the best I have tried, especially with palm trees.' Abri advised other farmers to start using Kala due to its effect on the quality and rapid growth of the crop.
Hilal bin Khalfan al Dhakhry, general manager of Business Development and Customer Services at Haya Water, said that Haya came up with the idea of recycling the wastewater mixed with green residues (leaves and branches of trees) and horse dung, and then reusing the final product as an organic fertiliser.
He added that, in 2010, Haya Water established the Kala compost plant, as part of its concern to protect the environment and this is, in fact, Haya's ultimate objective for the implementation of the wastewater project in the sultanate and the treatment of wastewater to protect groundwater from pollution.
Dhakhry added that, since the establishment of the Kala plant, the production is continuously increasing, with total sales exceeding 400,000 bags in 2016. It is worth mentioning that since the beginning of commercial production in 2011, the plant has produced more than 2mn bags of Kala compost.
He also added that the establishment of this plant in the sultanate is one of the most important achievements of Haya Water and a confirmation of its constant concern to protect the environment from pollution.
This has led some parties in Jordan, Qatar and Dubai to communicate with Haya water in order to benefit from Haya's experience in the recycling and management of sludge resulting from wastewater treatment. It should be noted that there are 238 plants in US to treat sludge and turn it into an organic fertiliser.
Haya Water is continuing to expand its production in order to benefit from the sludge resulting from wastewater treatment instead of dumping it in the solid waste landfill as it was previously done before the establishment of this plant.
Since its establishment in 2010, the plant has implemented the highest quality standards in its management and operation. This has significantly contributed to the plant obtaining the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OASAS 18001 certificates. The Kala plant has also been accredited by the United Nations Development Programme (CDM).
It is worth mentioning that the Kala plant is the first organic fertiliser plant in the Middle East to receive such certificates. Haya Water is always keen to provide environment-friendly high quality products that conform to international standards and specifications.
Haya Water, in collaboration with Sultan Qaboos University, conducted a scientific research during the period from 2013 to 2015 to study the effect of kala compost on various agricultural crops.
The results of this study proved that there is no accumulation above the normal level in terms of concentration of heavy elements or harmful germs in the soil. The study also indicated that Kala increases the fertility of the soil and improves the ability of the soil to retain water and it provides the plants with many types of nutrients, which increases the quantity and quality of various agricultural crops.
In addition, Haya Water pays great attention to the quality of the product and its manufacturing standards. In fact, the laboratory in this plant collects and analyses samples from raw materials and during the manufacturing process to ensure that the various manufacturing processes are carried out according to the production plan.
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