By Matṧeliso Phulane
Author and innovator Thuto Tsekeli has developed an organic fertiliser using cow milk, which he hopes will go a long way towards addressing the dire shortage of fertilisers in the country.
Tsekeli told theReporter this week that he and his team are yet to become fully operational as the fertiliser is still at its testing stage.
He said preliminary tests show the fertiliser to be of a high standard with adequate nutrients to support plants growth.
“We hope to start mass production towards the end of next year,” he stated.
The organic fertiliser is safe to use since it does not contain harmful synthetic chemicals and will help combat food insecurity in Lesotho, he pointed out.
“Traditional composting methods required a significant amount of time to convert organic matter into compost and we wanted to find easier and faster methods of producing organic fertiliser. So, we utilized EM1, a type of microorganism that aids in the biodegradation of organic matter.
“After conducting research, we ended up optimising the compost by using a strain of bacteria called ‘lactobacillus’, which could convert organic matter into compost. We sought to identify sources of these bacteria in our daily lives and found them in the milk that is commonly used in households.”
The next step was figuring out how to harvest the lactobacillus bacteria from milk in order to make use of it in the project.
The team put their training as scientists to good use and it was relatively easy to navigate their way around the innovation.
“We did a somehow similar research at varsity – how to manage organic waste effectively and quickly,” Tsekeli indicated.
He said the general shortage of fertiliser in the country is worrisome as it leads to low productivity. This in turn results in a spike in the demand for food and, eventually, high prices.
“I am confident that high yields will ensure both subsistence and commercial farmers sell food at lower prices,” he added.
Twenty-four-year-,old Tsekeli was born and bred at Fobane in the Leribe district. He regards himself as a jack of all trades, but his forte is writing self-help and financial and business literacy books.
He has at least five complete books under his belt.
Tsekeli is also a self-taught app developer; he came up with one called Sofnotes in 2020.
He is also an entrepreneur.
“I have keen interest in investments and bringing financial literacy to people of all classes. I completed my BSc degree in chemical technology from the National university of Lesotho and I am awaiting graduation.
People can visit his Facebook page at: Thuto Tsekeli or email him at: tsekelithuto@gmail.com or call +266 50045029.
