New Delhi [India], June 12: India’s biogas sector is finally having its moment. Compressed Biogas (CBG) has a government mandate, PSU buyers, and an expanding policy ecosystem. New plants are being commissioned across the country under the SATAT scheme.
According to Yashas Bhand, Whole Time Director at Organic Recycling Systems Limited (ORSL), we are only telling half the story.
“Every biomethanation plant produces two outputs — Compressed Biogas and Fermented Organic Manure. CBG has a mandate, a market, and policy momentum. FOM is yet to reach this level,” Bhand says.
Organic Recycling Systems Limited has been operating biomethanation plants for over 18 years across Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and other states, producing both CBG and FOM. For ORSL, FOM is not a byproduct. It is a product with the potential to address a crisis hiding in plain sight.
The soil crisis we should be talking about
India’s soil organic carbon levels stand at approximately 0.4 per cent — critically low, according to the Indian Biogas Association’s white paper at BBB Summit 2026.
“Think of soil organic carbon as the health of the soil. When it is low, the soil needs more fertiliser to produce the same crop. Additionally, it holds less water. Thus, the soil gets degraded a little more with every harvest cycle.”
Fertilisers are not to be blamed. Chemical fertilisers have fed India for decades and will continue to do so. But fertilisers feed the crop; they do not restore the soil. That is the job of FOM.
FOM is not a fertilizer substitute—it functions as a soil conditioner, microbial inoculant, and carbon source in a single product. While chemical fertilizers remain essential for meeting crop nutrient requirements, declining soil organic carbon and nutrient imbalances are increasingly affecting long-term soil productivity. The greatest value lies in the complementary use of fertilizers and FOM. Field trials conducted across diverse agro-climatic conditions have demonstrated that integrating FOM with conventional fertilization practices can sustain or enhance crop yields while simultaneously improving soil health and resilience.
A market that does not exist
Despite these benefits, FOM adoption remains fragmented. There is no uniform quality standard, no structured distribution channel, no consistent pricing, and no targeted incentive mechanism for farmers. People are aware of FOM, but because its immediate effect is not visible the way a fertiliser’s is, demand remains weak.
To fully realise the potential of FOM, ORSL believes India has an opportunity to establish a dedicated framework for organic inputs, similar to the role played by the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) for conventional fertilizers. Standardized quality benchmarks, certification mechanisms, efficient distribution channels, and targeted farmer incentives could help accelerate adoption and strengthen confidence across the agricultural value chain. As demonstrated by the successful development of the CBG ecosystem, focused policy support can catalyse new markets and unlock long-term growth opportunities for FOM.
Giving carbon back to the soil
“Every tonne of organic waste that passes through our plants carries carbon that was once in India’s soil. FOM is how we put it back. We have the plants. We have the science. We have the product. What we need now is the market, and the policy will to build it.”
At Organic Recycling Systems Limited, that product is already being produced and sold. The question is whether India’s policy framework will catch up before the soil runs out of time.
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